Man, 73, who was wrongly jailed for 20 YEARS over the murder of a top cop will sue the state for millions
- Former Treasury official David Eastman was wrongly jailed for murdering a cop
- He was locked up for 20 years after top officer Colin Winchester was shot dead
- Eastman, 73, is building his case and plans to sue the state for millions of dollars
A former Treasury official will soon outline the damages caused to him for wrongfully spending 19 years behind bars for murder.
David Eastman’s official compensation bid for the wrongful imprisonment is edging closer, with his legal team ironing out details on Monday ahead of the September 30 hearing.
The 73-year-old will file a statement of damages by August 26, with the ACT government given a fortnight to respond.
Former Treasury official David Eastman (pictured) will soon outline the damages caused to him for wrongfully spending 19 years behind bars for murder
Mr Eastman was found not guilty last year of murdering federal police assistant commissioner Colin Winchester in 1989.
He had pleaded not guilty to the shooting murder in 1993, but was sentenced to life in jail in 1995.
Mr Eastman’s conviction was quashed in 2014 over concerns with the original evidence, leading to a new trial last year where he was cleared.
The compensation claim is widely expected to net Mr Eastman millions of dollars.
David Eastman’s official compensation bid for the wrongful imprisonment is edging closer, with his legal team ironing out details on Monday ahead of the September 30 hearing
Mr Eastman’s conviction was quashed in 2014 over concerns with the original evidence, leading to a new trial last year where he was cleared
Rather than compensation, the ACT government is considering to offer Mr Eastman an “act of grace” payment, which is discretionary and would be signed off by the territory’s treasurer Andrew Barr.
Lawyers for the ACT described such a payment as being made due to “moral obligation, not legal”.
The case is listed for further directions at the ACT Supreme Court on September 9.
In 2009, the WA government issued a $3.25 million ex -gratia payment after Andrew Mallard spent 12 years in jail for a wrongful murder conviction.