1. 4 SNSPECIAL FEATURE SHEPPARTON NEWS, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2015
Michelle Buckingham trial
Accused guilty of murder
DEFENDANT ADMITTED BEING INVOLVED WITH TWO OTHER MEN BUT DENIED FATALLY STABBING TEENAGER
By Elaine Cooney
● Go to
www.sheppnews.com.au for
The News’ archive stories,
photos and video from 1983
to 2015 of the Michelle
Buckingham murder case.
Steven James Bradley, 53,
was found guilty on Friday of
murdering Michelle Bucking-
ham.
The Supreme Court hear-
ing into the 1983 murder was
held at Shepparton’s County
Court from September 28 to
October 9.
Bradley admitted he was
involved in the murder, along
with two other men, Rodney
Butler and Trevor Corrigan,
but denied stabbing her to
death.
He told police he pretended
to stab Miss Buckingham
after she was killed by Rod-
ney Butler.
The jury retired to deliber-
ate just before 1 pm last
Thursday and returned
before 10 am the next day
with a guilty verdict.
During the two weeks, the
court heard from key witness
Norman Gribble who told the
court Bradley confessed to
the murder in 1983 saying
‘‘I’ve killed someone’’ and
‘‘We killed a girl last night’’.
Several other witnesses
who saw Miss Buckingham
before she went missing were
called to the stand including
a tanker driver who claimed
to have seen Mr Bradley’s
green vehicle at the location
her body was found on Violet
Town Boundary Rd.
No evidence: Gregory Peter Gleadhill (centre) was charged with Michelle Buckingham’s murder in 1988. It never reached a trial
stage, thrown out because of a lack of evidence.
Wrong
suspect
once
charged
At the Coroner’s Court
inquest into Miss Bucking-
ham’s murder in February
1985, a man told the court
he had been at home, dis-
cussing the Melbourne Cup
with friends on the night he
was alleged to have held a
certain conversation with
Shepparton man Gregory
Peter Gleadhill.
He told the court that, in
a statement made to police
when told of the allega-
tions contained in Mr
Gleadhill’s statement
about him, he had replied:
‘‘All those references to me
killing Michelle were
totally untrue’’.
‘‘All is absolute rubbish,
invention.’’
Detective Senior Ser-
geant Albert Fry admitted
the various factual infor-
mation which was quoted
in Mr Gleadhill’s statement
was the sort of information
the local media had
already well-publicised.
He also told the court the
‘‘toof’’ sound described by
Mr Gleadhill in his state-
ment as the sound of Miss
Buckingham being stab-
bed, was, in his experi-
ence, an accurate
description of such a
sound.
Mr Gleadhill was
charged with the murder of
the 16-year-old in 1988 but
the case was subsequently
dropped due to a lack of
evidence.
Detective Senior Ser-
geant Ron Iddles, the
detective who led the mur-
der investigation, told The
News in 2012 he was confi-
dent Mr Gleadhill was not
involved.
‘‘I’m confident to say
Gleadhill didn’t do it. The
investigation has taken a
new direction.’’
Det Sen Sgt Iddles said
(back in 2012) that his
announcement came as a
relief for Mr Gleadhill’s
family.
‘‘It’s been a fairly horrific
ordeal — financially,
because of legal costs, it’s
nearly ruined them,’’ he
said.
Michelle
Buckingham
Timeline:
Friday, October 21, 1983:
Michelle Buckingham was
last seen by her friends
Colleen Cattanach and
Cheryle Faul, close to the Star
Bowl in Fryers St, Shepparton.
She asked the girls for
directions to the Strayleaves
Caravan Park, then began
walking in the direction of the
park. It was the last time she
was seen alive by her family
and friends.
Friday, October 28,
1983
Michelle Buckingham’s
father Geoff reported
that she was missing to
Shepparton Police and
then an investigation
commenced into that
disappearance.
Tuesday,
February 19, 1985
An inquest
into Michelle
Buckingham’s death
took place at the
Melbourne Coroner’s
Court, sitting in
Tatura.
Friday, December 20,
1985
The Police and Emergency
Services Minister offered
a $50,000 reward for
information leading to the
arrest and conviction of
Michelle Buckingham’s
murderer.
1988
Shepparton man
Gregory Peter Gleadhill
was charged with the
murder of the 16-year-
old, but it was dropped
later due to a lack of
evidence.
1994
Police authorised
the destruction
of some of the
evidence in the
investigation, due
to their biologically
hazardous nature.
Monday, November 7, 1983
Local farmer Lyle Kaye was
driving along Violet Town
Boundary Rd when he smelt
an odour, which attracted his
attention. He found the body
of Michelle Buckingham lying
face-down in long grass and
police began investigating.
Men named by Bradley deny involvement
In the court case into
the murder of Michelle
Buckingham, the man
found guilty, Steven James
Bradley, claimed Rodney
Butler and Trevor Corri-
gan were also involved in
the murder.
This was backed up by
the testimony of Bradley’s
brother-in-law who said
when Bradley confessed to
the murder in 1983, he
said Mr Butler and Mr
Corrigan were involved.
Mr Butler told the court
that he refused to give evi-
dence unless he was pro-
vided with a certificate
preventing what he said in
court from being used
against him in another
proceeding.
‘‘I’ll be honest, totally
honest, I’m a bit colourful
at times,’’ Mr Butler said.
‘‘That’s the only reason
I’m asking for a certifi-
cate.’’
Mr Corrigan was also
given the same certificate
but did not elaborate on
why he required it.
Mr Bradley said neither
he nor Trevor Corrigan
had anything to do with
the murder.
Norman Gribble told the
court Mr Bradley said to
him that Bradley, Trevor
Corrigan and Rodney But-
ler picked up Michelle
Buckingham from Stray-
leaves Caravan Park and
drove out Old Dookie Rd
to the Pine Lodge Hotel,
where they stabbed her.
Mr Gribble told the
court that Bradley, Mr
Corrigan and Mr Butler
‘‘put it on Michelle for
sex’’ and she had refused.
Mr Gribble said Mr
Bradley and the two other
men made a pact that they
all had to stab Miss Buck-
ingham so there would
‘‘be no comeback’’ before
dumping her on the side of
the road.
Mr Butler and Mr Corri-
gan denied their involve-
ment in the murder and
Mr Corrigan even denied
knowing Michelle Buck-
ingham.
Witness Gary Matthews
said Mr Corrigan did
know Miss Buckingham.
‘‘Lurch (Trevor Corri-
gan) knew Michelle Buck-
ingham,’’ his statement
read.
‘‘He would see her on a
regular basis.
‘‘Lurch definitely knew
her. If he says he doesn’t,
he’s bull*******g.’’