Cause of death homicide Children 3 | Nationality Australian | |
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Full Name Allison June Dickie Born 1 July 1968 ( 1968-07-01 ) Corinda, Queensland, Australia Died 19 April 2012(2012-04-19) (aged 43) Spouse(s) Gerard Robert Baden-Clay (1997–2012; her death) | ||
Allison June Baden-Clay (née Dickie; 1 July 1968 – 19 April 2012) was an 43 year-old Brisbane woman whose body was discovered on 30 April 2012, ten days after she was reported missing by her husband Gerard. On 13 June 2012, he was charged with murder and interfering with a corpse. On 15 July 2014, he was found guilty and given a life sentence. Baden-Clay appealed the conviction and on 8 December 2015, it was downgraded to manslaughter. In August 2016, the High Court of Australia re-instated the murder conviction.
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Background
Gerard Robert Baden-Clay was born Gerard Clay in Bournemouth, England, on 9 September 1970. His family migrated to Rhodesia in 1980 where they changed their family name to "Baden-Clay" to associate the family with his father's grandfather, Lord Baden-Powell of Scouting fame. The family's life style, repeated migration seeking new lives and adopting of new names and recreating personas have been noted as factors in Gerard Baden-Clay's character. Gerard Baden-Clay would later use other pseudonyms in his increasingly secret and fantasy life. The Baden-Clay family later migrated to Australia.
Allison June Dickie married Gerard Robert Baden-Clay on 23 August 1997.
Disappearance
At 7:30 am on Friday, 20 April 2012, Gerard Baden-Clay reported his wife Allison missing. He claimed she went for a walk at 10 pm the night before and had not returned home. On 30 April, a woman's body was found by a canoeist at Kholo Creek, Anstead, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Baden-Clay's home in Brookfield. The following day, the body was confirmed to be Allison. Her funeral was held in Ipswich on 11 May.
Trial and conviction
On 13 June 2012, Gerard Baden-Clay was formally interviewed at Indooroopilly police station and charged with Allison's murder and for interfering with a corpse. He maintained his innocence and said he would "be strenuously defending the charges". Baden-Clay's bail application was denied on 22 June because Justice David Boddice said he posed a "significant flight risk".
The trial began in the Brisbane Supreme Court on 10 June 2014. Baden-Clay pleaded not guilty to the charges. On 15 July, he was found guilty of murdering Allison and disposing her body. He was given a life sentence with a non-parole period of 15 years.
Appeal
On 7 August 2015, Baden-Clay appealed his conviction. On 8 December, his conviction was downgraded to manslaughter. In an unusual move, the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions appealed against the downgrade. On 31 August 2016, the High Court of Australia subsequently restored the original trial murder conviction.
Foundation
The Allison Baden-Clay Foundation was launched on 31 July 2015. Its aim is to "create a Queensland community that acknowledges the prevalence of domestic and family violence".