11 February, 2010

Money and Friends

Elizabeth Cox and her sister Annette had known Simone Hill for some time, and they were all now in their late teens. 17-year old Simone had loaned Annette some money, and unfortunately, as is often the case when money and friends mix, tensions between the Cox girls and Simone began to rise.

On Thursday December 18, 1997, Simone went to visit Annette at her East Maitland flat. She had been drinking, smoking pot and doing speed for a good part of the day, so was fairly high when she arrived at Annette's in the mid-evening. Annette's flatmate Tracey was also home with her boyfriend, and the four of them continued on drinking, smoking, and the rest.

That evening, they hatched a plot to lure Simone over to Annette's on the promise that they had the money she was owed. It was never clear who actually came up with the plan, although Tracey was the one to phone Simone and invite her over. It seems that part of the plan was to hurt Simone in some way, to teach her a lesson, although this was never entirely clear.

Simone, perhaps sensing the imminent danger, arrived with some friends of hers, a couple. Of course, Annette did not actually have the money she owed, and after a short time, Simone and her friends left. Naturally there was some verbal sparring between the girls, with various insults thrown back and forth. This continued as Elizabeth followed Simone and her friends out to the car. Although they intended to drive away, one last remark from Elizabeth prompted Simone to get back out of the car and challenge her. At this point Elizabeth pulled out a knife she'd been hiding and stabbed Simone once in the stomach.

Simone's friends raced her to Newcastle Hospital, but despite emergency surgery, she died four days later of internal bleeding.

Elizabeth threw away the knife, and concocted a story along with Annette and Tracey to fool the police, however this was fairly swiftly brought undone, and the knife was located.

Elizabeth eventually pleaded guilty to murder in the Newcastle Supreme Court. The Judge took into account the fact that she was only 18 years old at the time, and that she had not intended to actually kill Simone. He stated that her aggression was fueled by the fairly large quantities of alcohol and drugs she had consumed during the previous 12 hours or so, and this had lowered her inhibitions. This was of course an explanation for her behaviour, but not an excuse, and he sentenced her to 16 years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 11 years.

Elizabeth appealed this sentence on the basis that it was too severe, because the judge had not taken into account the fact that she had pleaded guilty (sparing the time and expense of a trial), she had no prior criminal record, and that she would be separated from her baby son (born after the murder) for quite some time.

The Appeal Court found that Elizabeth's baby would be well cared for by her parents, who would bring him to visit her frequently, and that unfortunately being deprived of the company of loved ones was one of the tragic consequences of imprisonment. It must be remembered that Elizabeth had deprived Simone Hills parents of ever seeing her again.

However, the Court found that the Judge had failed to consider her lack of criminal record, and her plea of guilty, which showed she had accepted her actions, and was remorseful. Her sentence was reduced to 14 years, with a non-parole period of nine years.

Elizabeth was released on June 22, 2007.

5 comments:

  1. Reporters never let the truth get in the way of a story. I am sick of reporters with over inflated senses of self worth. If half this story was true I would feel no need to comment. I can prove this. Not to mention I was released in 2010. If you want the truth try cuming to the source. Have some respect for people who lost a loved one.

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  2. IF REPORTERS DONT KNOW THE TRUTH WELL IM QUIET CERTAIN YOU DONT EITHER AND WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT RESPECT FOR ONES FAMILY WHEN YOU HAD NONE OF THAT RESPECT IN THE FIRST PLACE? YOU BLAME DRUGS AN ABUSIVE BF FOR YOUR ACTIONS WHEN THE TRUTH IS YOU HAD EVERY INTENTION OF DOING WHAT YOU DONE YOU LURED HER TO YOUR UNIT TRUTH SHE USE TO BABY SIT YOUR SON JOSH LILL WHILE YOU WENT OUT DRINKING AND DRUGGING SO DONT YOU SIT THER AND AND SAY HAVE RESPECT WHEN YOU HAVE NONE YOURSELF AND YOUR ACTIONS!!!! YOU CAN PROVE NOTHING YOU WERE IN FACT PROVED GUILTY BY A MAGISTRATE AND YOU NEVER GOT THE PRISON TIME YOU DESERVED BUT HEY I HOPE EVERYDAY YOUR KARMA IS EATING YOU ALIVE. YOU DEPRIVED A FATHER OF HIS ONLY DAUGHTER A MOTHER OF A DAUGHTER AND YOU ALSO DEPRIVED THEM OF GRANDKIDS XMAS AND BIRTHDAYS

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    1. Actually I'm Simones younger sister, I was 3 at the time this happened and me and simone are only related by our father, but no matter how much time has gone on it still destroys my family knowing that he'll never be able to see his daughter again, it hurts me to know that I'll never be able to grow up without a sister. I was only young but to see how hard it is still on my family, it still destroys me and everyone else inside. Elizabeth deserves everything she gets coming to her, she deserved a lot more time, she was the one that went and did it knowing the consequences of what would happen and knowing that she won't see her son for years. She deserves to rot.

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  3. and if you see who the blogger is it is actually a lawyer not a journo!!!! goes to show how much attention you pay to ones blogging

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  4. This is an interesting story, interestingly Elizabeth said throughout her prison time that she was innocent and it was her sister who committed the crime. This was common knowledge. Very sad and dysfunctional situation. I offer my condolences for the deceased family.

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