Not of Schapelle, but of Mercedes and Stuart Littlemore, her attorney. After their win, and how happy they are!!!
I figured that given the news of this week, this picture was warranted.
CONGRATULATIONS MERCEDES!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Mercedes Corby and Channel 7 Settle Case
Seven Network settles Mercedes Corby defamation case
By Evyn Testoni and Adam Bennett
May 30, 2008 06:46pm
Channel Seven settles Corby defamation case
Walks by the Today Tonight studio after win
Says network chose ratings over truth
MERCEDES Corby will pocket a large payout from the Seven Network after winning a defamation case over its interviews with her former best friend.
Seven tonight announced it had reached a settlement with Ms Corby's lawyers to pay her an undisclosed sum, after a jury yesterday found she had been defamed by the network.
"The Seven Network has concluded a confidential settlement with Mercedes Corby's lawyers this afternoon,'' it said in a statement.
"There will be no further statements as the terms of the settlement preclude either party making any further comment regarding that settlement.''
A NSW Supreme Court jury yesterday found three Today Tonight programs and one news bulletin, broadcast in February last year, had defamed Ms Corby, the 33-year-old sister of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby.
The programs centred on interviews with 35-year-old Jodie Power, a one-time Corby family friend.
The Today Tonight programs were found to have conveyed defamatory meanings, including that Ms Corby was a drug smuggler, a drug dealer and posed a threat to the safety of Ms Power.
Today's settlement would appear to be a case of Seven cutting its losses after losing its legal battle with Ms Corby.
The settlement means the Supreme Court will no longer have to decide damages in the case.
A short hearing will be held on Monday to declare the case over.
The settlement means both sides - but particularly Seven - will avoid having to pay for a further three or four days of legal argument over the amount of damages to be awarded.
Seven's legal costs in the five-week-long case would have been considerable.
It had already paid Ms Power $100,000 for the interviews and also gave the mother-of-two boys two all-expenses paid overseas holidays.
But the settlement also spares Mercedes Corby from further cross examination over her past drug use.
Outside court this morning, Ms Corby told reporters she has been looking forward to addressing the court on the issue of damages.
"This is a major victory for me and my family,'' she said.
"Living with these disgusting allegations has been difficult and hurtful.
"I'm relieved Today Tonight has been held accountable for their ... story.
"It is sad when a hunt for ratings overtakes the truth.''
Ms Corby said she hoped the current affairs program had learned a lesson from her legal win.
"I really hope that in future, Today Tonight thinks hard before broadcasting attacks and lies about somebody,'' she said.
"It may be just showbiz and ratings for Today Tonight, but it is real people they hurt.''
Ms Corby said today she now planned to spend more time with her family, including Schapelle, jailed in Bali for 20 years for smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23782051-2,00.html
By Evyn Testoni and Adam Bennett
May 30, 2008 06:46pm
Channel Seven settles Corby defamation case
Walks by the Today Tonight studio after win
Says network chose ratings over truth
MERCEDES Corby will pocket a large payout from the Seven Network after winning a defamation case over its interviews with her former best friend.
Seven tonight announced it had reached a settlement with Ms Corby's lawyers to pay her an undisclosed sum, after a jury yesterday found she had been defamed by the network.
"The Seven Network has concluded a confidential settlement with Mercedes Corby's lawyers this afternoon,'' it said in a statement.
"There will be no further statements as the terms of the settlement preclude either party making any further comment regarding that settlement.''
A NSW Supreme Court jury yesterday found three Today Tonight programs and one news bulletin, broadcast in February last year, had defamed Ms Corby, the 33-year-old sister of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby.
The programs centred on interviews with 35-year-old Jodie Power, a one-time Corby family friend.
The Today Tonight programs were found to have conveyed defamatory meanings, including that Ms Corby was a drug smuggler, a drug dealer and posed a threat to the safety of Ms Power.
Today's settlement would appear to be a case of Seven cutting its losses after losing its legal battle with Ms Corby.
The settlement means the Supreme Court will no longer have to decide damages in the case.
A short hearing will be held on Monday to declare the case over.
The settlement means both sides - but particularly Seven - will avoid having to pay for a further three or four days of legal argument over the amount of damages to be awarded.
Seven's legal costs in the five-week-long case would have been considerable.
It had already paid Ms Power $100,000 for the interviews and also gave the mother-of-two boys two all-expenses paid overseas holidays.
But the settlement also spares Mercedes Corby from further cross examination over her past drug use.
Outside court this morning, Ms Corby told reporters she has been looking forward to addressing the court on the issue of damages.
"This is a major victory for me and my family,'' she said.
"Living with these disgusting allegations has been difficult and hurtful.
"I'm relieved Today Tonight has been held accountable for their ... story.
"It is sad when a hunt for ratings overtakes the truth.''
Ms Corby said she hoped the current affairs program had learned a lesson from her legal win.
"I really hope that in future, Today Tonight thinks hard before broadcasting attacks and lies about somebody,'' she said.
"It may be just showbiz and ratings for Today Tonight, but it is real people they hurt.''
Ms Corby said today she now planned to spend more time with her family, including Schapelle, jailed in Bali for 20 years for smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23782051-2,00.html
Thursday, May 29, 2008
MERCEDES CORBY WINS DEFAMATION TRIAL AGAINST CHANNEL 7!
Corby wins court case
Malcolm Brown
May 29, 2008 - 6:51PM
Mercedes Corby has won her defamation case against Channel Seven.
Corby, sister of Schapelle Corby - jailed for attempting to smuggle marijuana into Bali in 2004 - had claimed that she was grossly defamed in the Today Tonight programs.
The claims were that she had asked her then best friend, Jodie Power, to smuggle drugs into Bali; that she had confessed, herself, to smuggling marijuana; that she was guilty of smuggling marijuana; that she was knowingly involved in Schapelle Corby's smuggling and that she had possessed marijuana.
Ms Corby further complained that the program conveyed the meaning that she was a threat to the safety of Ms Power, who had made strong claims against her and the Corby family in the television programs and that Ms Corby had denied Schapelle Corby's lawyers the chance to prove Schapelle's innocence.
Justice Carolyn Simpson, who gave directions to the jury for three hours today, said that it had been conceded on Ms Corby's behalf that she had smoked marijuana but only on a few occasions years ago.
It has been argued by Stuart Littlemore, QC, representing Ms Corby, that technically during the brief time she had handled marijuana, she had "possessed it".
But the jury had to decide whether such an allegedly fleeting contact with the drug made it "substantially true" that Ms Corby was guilty of possession.
After six hours, the jury found Seven's defence of truth had failed on all but one of the defamatory imputations, namely that Ms Corby had possessed marijuana.
Ms Power shook her head and was visibly upset after hearing the verdict, and had to be calmed by those around her.
As they left the court, Power shouted "liar" in Ms Corby's direction, as Ms Corby embraced her lawyers.
Outside court, Ms Corby told reporters it had been a difficult time.
"I've still got more to do but I'm really happy with the outcome," she said.
The parties will have to return to court tomorrow to address the imputation found to be true.
During the hearings, Mr Littlemore said his client was "an ordinary Australian" subjected to a "trial by media" solely because her sister, Schapelle, was "locked up in a stinking jail in Bali".
Schapelle Corby is serving 20 years in prison after being convicted of smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.
Seven paid Ms Power $100,000 for the interviews and also gave the 35-year-old two all expenses paid overseas holidays.
In her evidence, Ms Power said she had seen Ms Corby, 33, use marijuana, speed, cocaine and shabu - a type of methamphetamine.
The jury was shown two photos of Ms Corby with a pipe, shaped like a penis, which Ms Power said was used to smoke marijuana.
Ms Power also alleged Ms Corby had admitted to her that she had internally concealed marijuana and smuggled it into Bali, and had asked her to do the same.
When she took the stand, Ms Corby denied the smuggling allegations, rejected claims she took cocaine, shabu, and speed, and also denied selling marijuana or speed.
She said her drug use was limited, and her own letters referring to her drug use were written when she was "young and immature" and trying to look "cool".
Mr Littlemore contended Ms Power's brain had been "fried" by her own drug use, which the court was told had rendered her delusional.
with AAP
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cor ... 90387.html
Malcolm Brown
May 29, 2008 - 6:51PM
Mercedes Corby has won her defamation case against Channel Seven.
Corby, sister of Schapelle Corby - jailed for attempting to smuggle marijuana into Bali in 2004 - had claimed that she was grossly defamed in the Today Tonight programs.
The claims were that she had asked her then best friend, Jodie Power, to smuggle drugs into Bali; that she had confessed, herself, to smuggling marijuana; that she was guilty of smuggling marijuana; that she was knowingly involved in Schapelle Corby's smuggling and that she had possessed marijuana.
Ms Corby further complained that the program conveyed the meaning that she was a threat to the safety of Ms Power, who had made strong claims against her and the Corby family in the television programs and that Ms Corby had denied Schapelle Corby's lawyers the chance to prove Schapelle's innocence.
Justice Carolyn Simpson, who gave directions to the jury for three hours today, said that it had been conceded on Ms Corby's behalf that she had smoked marijuana but only on a few occasions years ago.
It has been argued by Stuart Littlemore, QC, representing Ms Corby, that technically during the brief time she had handled marijuana, she had "possessed it".
But the jury had to decide whether such an allegedly fleeting contact with the drug made it "substantially true" that Ms Corby was guilty of possession.
After six hours, the jury found Seven's defence of truth had failed on all but one of the defamatory imputations, namely that Ms Corby had possessed marijuana.
Ms Power shook her head and was visibly upset after hearing the verdict, and had to be calmed by those around her.
As they left the court, Power shouted "liar" in Ms Corby's direction, as Ms Corby embraced her lawyers.
Outside court, Ms Corby told reporters it had been a difficult time.
"I've still got more to do but I'm really happy with the outcome," she said.
The parties will have to return to court tomorrow to address the imputation found to be true.
During the hearings, Mr Littlemore said his client was "an ordinary Australian" subjected to a "trial by media" solely because her sister, Schapelle, was "locked up in a stinking jail in Bali".
Schapelle Corby is serving 20 years in prison after being convicted of smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.
Seven paid Ms Power $100,000 for the interviews and also gave the 35-year-old two all expenses paid overseas holidays.
In her evidence, Ms Power said she had seen Ms Corby, 33, use marijuana, speed, cocaine and shabu - a type of methamphetamine.
The jury was shown two photos of Ms Corby with a pipe, shaped like a penis, which Ms Power said was used to smoke marijuana.
Ms Power also alleged Ms Corby had admitted to her that she had internally concealed marijuana and smuggled it into Bali, and had asked her to do the same.
When she took the stand, Ms Corby denied the smuggling allegations, rejected claims she took cocaine, shabu, and speed, and also denied selling marijuana or speed.
She said her drug use was limited, and her own letters referring to her drug use were written when she was "young and immature" and trying to look "cool".
Mr Littlemore contended Ms Power's brain had been "fried" by her own drug use, which the court was told had rendered her delusional.
with AAP
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cor ... 90387.html
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Bring It On!!!!
'The X-Files - I Want to Believe' is soon to be released! Less than two months to go!
New Blog Added!
HLJ has made one more fantastic addition to the linksbar! Brian, an active member of the FreeSchapelle forum, has created a Schapelle-support blog called Island Time. Brian graciously allowed me to make the addition, and has responded in kind by adding Hacia la Justicia to his linkslist.
Here, once more, is the link to Island Time. Enjoy!
http://islandman-islandtime.blogspot.com/
Here, once more, is the link to Island Time. Enjoy!
http://islandman-islandtime.blogspot.com/
Saturday, May 17, 2008
A Worthwhile Photo Essay
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/gallery/0,22056,5022063-5010140,00.html
This is a photo essay depicting photographs submitted for the defense of Channel 7 in the current defamation trial. Only about 4 pictures are actually relevant for the defense. The rest, interestingly, would seemingly do more to win people to Schapelle's case. They show images of Schapelle and her family having fun with each other, with friends, and on vacation.
For its relevance to the defamation trial, and also for its value in telling Schapelle's story (many of the pictures have never before been seen), I post the link here.
Michael Corby, Schapelle's father, recently passed away from prostate cancer. Included in this photo essay is a very sweet picture of Schapelle and Michael. I am sure the family values that photo particularly.
This is a photo essay depicting photographs submitted for the defense of Channel 7 in the current defamation trial. Only about 4 pictures are actually relevant for the defense. The rest, interestingly, would seemingly do more to win people to Schapelle's case. They show images of Schapelle and her family having fun with each other, with friends, and on vacation.
For its relevance to the defamation trial, and also for its value in telling Schapelle's story (many of the pictures have never before been seen), I post the link here.
Michael Corby, Schapelle's father, recently passed away from prostate cancer. Included in this photo essay is a very sweet picture of Schapelle and Michael. I am sure the family values that photo particularly.
A Defamation Trial Overview by Mr. Garry Linnell
This article was posted on the FreeSchapelle Forum and originated from the Herald Sun. Curse words aside, I found it a fascinating article. It provides an excellent overview of the history of the defamation trial, and Mr. Linnell, the author, presents both Mercedes' and Jodie's sides well. Written with an excellent writing style, which we here at HLJ just love, the article is quite an enjoyable and informative read.
------------------------
Mercedes Corby defamation case a real-life drama
Garry Linnell
May 10, 2008 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23673392-662,00.html
The Mercedes Corby defamation case has shown well-aimed mud will always stick, writes Garry Linnell.
WHEN the first chill nights arrive heralding the coming of another winter, Rosleigh Rose makes her way into the kitchen and starts preparing tomato jam. She likes the stuff.
"Has a bit of a kick to it," she says. "Good for winter."
But today it hasn't quite worked out to plan.
The matriarch of the Corby clan, a mother with one daughter in prison 4000km away and another locked in a vicious courtroom battle trying to clear the family name, has just burned her latest batch.
She's been too busy yapping on the phone in her Queensland home and being distracted by news from Sydney.
"Now look what you've made me do," Rosleigh tells her caller.
What should have been sweet and hot has turned bitter. It's a taste the Corbys have grown accustomed to in recent years, ever since they were catapulted from suburban obscurity into the harsh, unrelenting public scrutiny that accompanied her daughter Schapelle's arrest in Bali.
Rosleigh shrugs and declares she will simply have to start again. If only it was always that easy.
Imagine it, Rosleigh. Imagine you had the chance to scrub the pot clean and wipe away the last four years.
No boogie board bag weighed down with a 4kg stash of marijuana. No Schapelle wasting the best years of her life in a rank Indonesian jail.
No packs of TV hounds raking through your lives.
And no trying to make jam with the grandkids at your feet while daughter Mercedes sits in the Supreme Court in Sydney, listening to her dyed-blonde former best friend tell the world that your family are drug runners.
J ODIE Power brushes a strand of lank hair from her face. The fairness accentuates a deep tan. The constant clenching of her jaw exaggerates her high cheekbones.
This is room 11E of the Supreme Court.
It's white, small, and the airconditioning whispers so quietly you can hear the growling and small moans from stomachs in the public seats.
But despite, or more likely because of, a succession of sometimes tawdry, sensational claims, appetites for this saga have been far from whetted.
Power, rake thin in a dark jacket, stares at the man in the wig who has spent days accusing her of being a liar.
Stuart Littlemore, QC, pursued a relentless campaign against tabloid current affairs programs during his stint years ago as host of the ABC's Media Watch program.
Littlemore's questioning of Power, the key witness in Mercedes Corby's defamation action against the Seven network's Today Tonight program, has been aggressive and already earned him a rebuke from the judge for bullying.
At one point in his cross-examination, he asked Power, who has admitted to a lengthy history of drug use, about the presence of cocaine at a party.
"If there was cocaine there, you would have sucked it up like an industrial-strength vacuum cleaner, wouldn't you?" Littlemore asked.
Power: "No."
Last year she was paid $100,000 by Seven to air claims on Today Tonight that Mercedes was a regular drug user, had smuggled drugs and that the Corby family had a long history of drug use.
Littlemore has told the court Power was motivated by "money, hatred and celebrity" to go public, is a liar and that "there is really nothing that Channel 7 will stop at in lying to its audience".
Littlemore's opponent and counsel for Seven, Tom Hughes, QC, has told the jury Mercedes was a frequent drug user who was "involved in this vile trade", and that there was evidence she had sold drugs in Japan and Indonesia.
It has already been a case filled with all the staples of television drama.
The Miracle Diet! (the drug speed -- your path to rapid weight loss). Sex! (all-day sessions fuelled by methamphetamines). Busted! (marijuana hidden in vaginas).
But it has also become a tale of broken friendships and busted dreams.
And while the case may be centred around Mercedes and her bid to clear her name, it has also exposed the fierce rivalry for ratings between Nine's A Current Affair and its Channel 7 opponent.
For the past four years the Corby saga has been the main battleground for the war between the two shows.
Soon after Schapelle's arrest in Bali, Nine signed Rosleigh, providing flights and accommodation in Bali for her to regularly visit her daughter.
ACA's ownership of the Corby side of the story gave it a big advantage in the prized fight for 6.30pm supremacy.
But Power's allegations last year rewarded Today Tonight with a sizeable victory at the start of a new ratings year.
Her claims also seemed to swing public opinion against Schapelle, with several online polls showing those polled had changed their minds about her innocence.
Littlemore has told the court he had a letter from Seven to Power detailing "what answers to give, otherwise she wouldn't get the money".
Power took a lie detector test on the program and failed, breaking down on air.
Littlemore told the court Power's televised tears were not over the breakdown of her long-running friendship with Mercedes, but over the fact she had failed a lie detector test set up to prove her claims.
"What she does is break down at the enormity of the lies she is telling. She'd just done her dough. She knew: No show, no dough," he said.
Power passed another polygraph test and was duly paid.
She has told the court she had asked for the cheque to be sent to a private post office box and needed the money to help meet legal costs for a bitter marital breakup.
Power sits in the gallery, her time in the witness box over, watching Littlemore cross-examine her mother, Margaret Campbell.
She brushes aside another strand of hair, and then wipes tears before standing and walking out of the court.
A week earlier, Mercedes had also sobbed and left the room after breaking down when Littlemore briefly mentioned her father, who died recently.
Margaret Campbell has been telling the jury how angry she had been with Mercedes for allegedly tricking her into transporting a brick-sized package of marijuana from the Gold Coast to her daughter, who was then in Byron Bay.
Campbell said her fury led to her telling Power she was a "f---ing bitch".
She said she had telephoned Mercedes and told her: "Never do anything like that again or I will cut your balls out and hand them to you on a silver platter."
Campbell agrees she has seen her daughter smoke drugs in front of her children.
But it is only when she details Power's marriage problems, including allegations of beatings and other abuse, that Power gets up and leaves.
Littlemore asks Campbell why, after defending her daughter on Today Tonight and backing her claims about the Corbys, she rang A Current Affair two days later and said the Corbys were a nice family.
Campbell becomes animated and says she wanted everyone's lives to return to normal.
But now there is no returning to normal. They are all in the same jam and no one, it seems, will avoid being burned.
Power and Mercedes Corby met on the Gold Coast in 1992.
Power told the court they smoked marijuana, which they usually bought from Mercedes' brother, Michael.
Two years later they went to Japan, where Power says Mercedes introduced her to speed and "shabu" -- another term for methamphetamine or ice.
Power has told the court Mercedes showed her how to smoke shabu: "It was an inverted bit of foil. You smoke it through a straw. It was unusual so I asked, 'What is it'?"
But it was not until a holiday in Bali four years later with then-boyfriend Steve Power claimed Mercedes persuaded her to try shabu.
"She told me it was shabu and that it's pretty good and you can f--- all day."
Asked about the drug's effects, Power said: "Steve and I had sex all day."
Hughes, in his opening address, said Mercedes had introduced Power to these drugs, and he had evidence to show she sold shabu in Japan and Indonesia, and speed and pot in Australia, in league with her brother, Michael.
As part of the legal action, Mercedes is also suing Today Tonight host Anna Coren and producer Bryan Seymour.
Littlemore has told the hearing Coren had made a "shamelessly false assertion" that Power had received death threats after making her claims, when in fact she was on an all-expenses paid holiday in Canada, courtesy of Seven.
The Seven network is pleading truth and contextual truth as its defence. There is at least another week left of allegations and cross-examinations.
And then the four-person jury will be left to decide.
Meanwhile, Rosleigh Rose will remain in Queensland, listening for the phone and waiting for winter to arrive.
Maybe it already has.
------------------------
Mercedes Corby defamation case a real-life drama
Garry Linnell
May 10, 2008 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23673392-662,00.html
The Mercedes Corby defamation case has shown well-aimed mud will always stick, writes Garry Linnell.
WHEN the first chill nights arrive heralding the coming of another winter, Rosleigh Rose makes her way into the kitchen and starts preparing tomato jam. She likes the stuff.
"Has a bit of a kick to it," she says. "Good for winter."
But today it hasn't quite worked out to plan.
The matriarch of the Corby clan, a mother with one daughter in prison 4000km away and another locked in a vicious courtroom battle trying to clear the family name, has just burned her latest batch.
She's been too busy yapping on the phone in her Queensland home and being distracted by news from Sydney.
"Now look what you've made me do," Rosleigh tells her caller.
What should have been sweet and hot has turned bitter. It's a taste the Corbys have grown accustomed to in recent years, ever since they were catapulted from suburban obscurity into the harsh, unrelenting public scrutiny that accompanied her daughter Schapelle's arrest in Bali.
Rosleigh shrugs and declares she will simply have to start again. If only it was always that easy.
Imagine it, Rosleigh. Imagine you had the chance to scrub the pot clean and wipe away the last four years.
No boogie board bag weighed down with a 4kg stash of marijuana. No Schapelle wasting the best years of her life in a rank Indonesian jail.
No packs of TV hounds raking through your lives.
And no trying to make jam with the grandkids at your feet while daughter Mercedes sits in the Supreme Court in Sydney, listening to her dyed-blonde former best friend tell the world that your family are drug runners.
J ODIE Power brushes a strand of lank hair from her face. The fairness accentuates a deep tan. The constant clenching of her jaw exaggerates her high cheekbones.
This is room 11E of the Supreme Court.
It's white, small, and the airconditioning whispers so quietly you can hear the growling and small moans from stomachs in the public seats.
But despite, or more likely because of, a succession of sometimes tawdry, sensational claims, appetites for this saga have been far from whetted.
Power, rake thin in a dark jacket, stares at the man in the wig who has spent days accusing her of being a liar.
Stuart Littlemore, QC, pursued a relentless campaign against tabloid current affairs programs during his stint years ago as host of the ABC's Media Watch program.
Littlemore's questioning of Power, the key witness in Mercedes Corby's defamation action against the Seven network's Today Tonight program, has been aggressive and already earned him a rebuke from the judge for bullying.
At one point in his cross-examination, he asked Power, who has admitted to a lengthy history of drug use, about the presence of cocaine at a party.
"If there was cocaine there, you would have sucked it up like an industrial-strength vacuum cleaner, wouldn't you?" Littlemore asked.
Power: "No."
Last year she was paid $100,000 by Seven to air claims on Today Tonight that Mercedes was a regular drug user, had smuggled drugs and that the Corby family had a long history of drug use.
Littlemore has told the court Power was motivated by "money, hatred and celebrity" to go public, is a liar and that "there is really nothing that Channel 7 will stop at in lying to its audience".
Littlemore's opponent and counsel for Seven, Tom Hughes, QC, has told the jury Mercedes was a frequent drug user who was "involved in this vile trade", and that there was evidence she had sold drugs in Japan and Indonesia.
It has already been a case filled with all the staples of television drama.
The Miracle Diet! (the drug speed -- your path to rapid weight loss). Sex! (all-day sessions fuelled by methamphetamines). Busted! (marijuana hidden in vaginas).
But it has also become a tale of broken friendships and busted dreams.
And while the case may be centred around Mercedes and her bid to clear her name, it has also exposed the fierce rivalry for ratings between Nine's A Current Affair and its Channel 7 opponent.
For the past four years the Corby saga has been the main battleground for the war between the two shows.
Soon after Schapelle's arrest in Bali, Nine signed Rosleigh, providing flights and accommodation in Bali for her to regularly visit her daughter.
ACA's ownership of the Corby side of the story gave it a big advantage in the prized fight for 6.30pm supremacy.
But Power's allegations last year rewarded Today Tonight with a sizeable victory at the start of a new ratings year.
Her claims also seemed to swing public opinion against Schapelle, with several online polls showing those polled had changed their minds about her innocence.
Littlemore has told the court he had a letter from Seven to Power detailing "what answers to give, otherwise she wouldn't get the money".
Power took a lie detector test on the program and failed, breaking down on air.
Littlemore told the court Power's televised tears were not over the breakdown of her long-running friendship with Mercedes, but over the fact she had failed a lie detector test set up to prove her claims.
"What she does is break down at the enormity of the lies she is telling. She'd just done her dough. She knew: No show, no dough," he said.
Power passed another polygraph test and was duly paid.
She has told the court she had asked for the cheque to be sent to a private post office box and needed the money to help meet legal costs for a bitter marital breakup.
Power sits in the gallery, her time in the witness box over, watching Littlemore cross-examine her mother, Margaret Campbell.
She brushes aside another strand of hair, and then wipes tears before standing and walking out of the court.
A week earlier, Mercedes had also sobbed and left the room after breaking down when Littlemore briefly mentioned her father, who died recently.
Margaret Campbell has been telling the jury how angry she had been with Mercedes for allegedly tricking her into transporting a brick-sized package of marijuana from the Gold Coast to her daughter, who was then in Byron Bay.
Campbell said her fury led to her telling Power she was a "f---ing bitch".
She said she had telephoned Mercedes and told her: "Never do anything like that again or I will cut your balls out and hand them to you on a silver platter."
Campbell agrees she has seen her daughter smoke drugs in front of her children.
But it is only when she details Power's marriage problems, including allegations of beatings and other abuse, that Power gets up and leaves.
Littlemore asks Campbell why, after defending her daughter on Today Tonight and backing her claims about the Corbys, she rang A Current Affair two days later and said the Corbys were a nice family.
Campbell becomes animated and says she wanted everyone's lives to return to normal.
But now there is no returning to normal. They are all in the same jam and no one, it seems, will avoid being burned.
Power and Mercedes Corby met on the Gold Coast in 1992.
Power told the court they smoked marijuana, which they usually bought from Mercedes' brother, Michael.
Two years later they went to Japan, where Power says Mercedes introduced her to speed and "shabu" -- another term for methamphetamine or ice.
Power has told the court Mercedes showed her how to smoke shabu: "It was an inverted bit of foil. You smoke it through a straw. It was unusual so I asked, 'What is it'?"
But it was not until a holiday in Bali four years later with then-boyfriend Steve Power claimed Mercedes persuaded her to try shabu.
"She told me it was shabu and that it's pretty good and you can f--- all day."
Asked about the drug's effects, Power said: "Steve and I had sex all day."
Hughes, in his opening address, said Mercedes had introduced Power to these drugs, and he had evidence to show she sold shabu in Japan and Indonesia, and speed and pot in Australia, in league with her brother, Michael.
As part of the legal action, Mercedes is also suing Today Tonight host Anna Coren and producer Bryan Seymour.
Littlemore has told the hearing Coren had made a "shamelessly false assertion" that Power had received death threats after making her claims, when in fact she was on an all-expenses paid holiday in Canada, courtesy of Seven.
The Seven network is pleading truth and contextual truth as its defence. There is at least another week left of allegations and cross-examinations.
And then the four-person jury will be left to decide.
Meanwhile, Rosleigh Rose will remain in Queensland, listening for the phone and waiting for winter to arrive.
Maybe it already has.
"We're All Innocent": Mercedes' Testimony
Tearful Mercedes Corby takes the stand
By Amy Coopes
May 12, 2008 05:17pm
-
MERCEDES Corby has denied smuggling or dealing drugs, or lying about her family's involvement in the drug trade.
Ms Corby today declared Schapelle Corby innocent of drug smuggling, fighting back tears as she told the NSW Supreme Court that her sister needed her family by her side to keep her sane.
Schapelle Corby is serving a 20-year sentence in a Bali prison after being convicted of drug smuggling in 2004.
Dressed in a black shirt, grey skirt and black, knee-high boots, 33-year-old Mercedes Corby today took the stand in her defamation claim against the Seven Network.
Ms Corby is suing Seven and a number of its staff for defamation over allegations made by her former best friend, Jodie Power, on the Today Tonight program and Seven news in February last year.
Ms Power gave interviews to the network claiming Ms Corby had used drugs with her and sold her marijuana.
Ms Corby today denied the allegations in the witness box, telling the jury she had never cultivated or sold marijuana.
She also testified she had never taken cocaine, shabu (a type of methamphetamine), speed or ecstasy, nor possessed the latter three drugs.
Ms Corby told the court she had never smuggled drugs into any country or instructed anyone else to do so, and had "no knowledge'' of the 4.1kg of cannabis Indonesian authorities found in her sister's luggage in 2004.
"My sister's innocent,'' Ms Corby declared.
Ms Corby denied interfering in her sister's trial, saying she had done "everything I can to help her''.
"Have you lied to the public about your involvement with drugs or your family's (involvement)?'' asked her lawyer Stuart Littlemore QC.
"No, never,'' Ms Corby replied.
The clothing designer fought back tears as she spoke of her sister's confinement, telling the jury she visited her every day in her Bali jail to take her food and clean clothes.
When Schapelle was sick or needed legal counsel, Ms Corby said she would arrange for doctors and lawyers, "whatever has to be done''.
"She needs us there for her sanity,'' Ms Corby wept.
Ms Corby said her brother, Michael, was currently in Bali caring for Schapelle in her absence, visiting her twice a day.
Mr Littlemore read an email from Ms Corby to Seven, written before it screened the programs in question, in which she begged them to thoroughly investigate Ms Power's claims before putting them to air.
In the email, which was circulated to Seven news director Peter Meakin and other managers, Ms Corby said Ms Power was "mentally unstable'' and would "say anything for money, she loves the limelight''.
Ms Corby told Seven she believed Ms Power was being used in a "smear campaign'' hatched by Gold Coast businessman Ron Bakir and her sister's former lawyer Robin Tampoe.
Both men were painted in a bad light in Schapelle's biography and Ms Corby said she believed they were "putting Jodie up to speak on their behalf''.
"We believe that they are retaliating through the media with the help of Jodie, who they know was close to our family,'' Ms Corby wrote.
"This is a a carefully thought out and manipulative strategy.''
"I know it will be good ratings, but this is our life.
"Please give our family a fair go.''
Ms Corby said she believed any negative press, particularly anything linking her sister to drugs, could adversely affect the outcome of Schapelle Corby's final appeal, which was at that time before the Indonesian courts.
The Gold Coast woman, who has three children with her Balinese husband, said she received only a polite response from Seven's legal counsel assuring her Today Tonight "will be in touch with you if the need arises''.
The next she heard of the matter was when it was broadcast on February 13, she said.
Her evidence continues before Justice Carolyn Simpson.
May 12, 2008 05:17pm
-
MERCEDES Corby has denied smuggling or dealing drugs, or lying about her family's involvement in the drug trade.
Ms Corby today declared Schapelle Corby innocent of drug smuggling, fighting back tears as she told the NSW Supreme Court that her sister needed her family by her side to keep her sane.
Schapelle Corby is serving a 20-year sentence in a Bali prison after being convicted of drug smuggling in 2004.
Dressed in a black shirt, grey skirt and black, knee-high boots, 33-year-old Mercedes Corby today took the stand in her defamation claim against the Seven Network.
Ms Corby is suing Seven and a number of its staff for defamation over allegations made by her former best friend, Jodie Power, on the Today Tonight program and Seven news in February last year.
Ms Power gave interviews to the network claiming Ms Corby had used drugs with her and sold her marijuana.
Ms Corby today denied the allegations in the witness box, telling the jury she had never cultivated or sold marijuana.
She also testified she had never taken cocaine, shabu (a type of methamphetamine), speed or ecstasy, nor possessed the latter three drugs.
Ms Corby told the court she had never smuggled drugs into any country or instructed anyone else to do so, and had "no knowledge'' of the 4.1kg of cannabis Indonesian authorities found in her sister's luggage in 2004.
"My sister's innocent,'' Ms Corby declared.
Ms Corby denied interfering in her sister's trial, saying she had done "everything I can to help her''.
"Have you lied to the public about your involvement with drugs or your family's (involvement)?'' asked her lawyer Stuart Littlemore QC.
"No, never,'' Ms Corby replied.
The clothing designer fought back tears as she spoke of her sister's confinement, telling the jury she visited her every day in her Bali jail to take her food and clean clothes.
When Schapelle was sick or needed legal counsel, Ms Corby said she would arrange for doctors and lawyers, "whatever has to be done''.
"She needs us there for her sanity,'' Ms Corby wept.
Ms Corby said her brother, Michael, was currently in Bali caring for Schapelle in her absence, visiting her twice a day.
Mr Littlemore read an email from Ms Corby to Seven, written before it screened the programs in question, in which she begged them to thoroughly investigate Ms Power's claims before putting them to air.
In the email, which was circulated to Seven news director Peter Meakin and other managers, Ms Corby said Ms Power was "mentally unstable'' and would "say anything for money, she loves the limelight''.
Ms Corby told Seven she believed Ms Power was being used in a "smear campaign'' hatched by Gold Coast businessman Ron Bakir and her sister's former lawyer Robin Tampoe.
Both men were painted in a bad light in Schapelle's biography and Ms Corby said she believed they were "putting Jodie up to speak on their behalf''.
"We believe that they are retaliating through the media with the help of Jodie, who they know was close to our family,'' Ms Corby wrote.
"This is a a carefully thought out and manipulative strategy.''
"I know it will be good ratings, but this is our life.
"Please give our family a fair go.''
Ms Corby said she believed any negative press, particularly anything linking her sister to drugs, could adversely affect the outcome of Schapelle Corby's final appeal, which was at that time before the Indonesian courts.
The Gold Coast woman, who has three children with her Balinese husband, said she received only a polite response from Seven's legal counsel assuring her Today Tonight "will be in touch with you if the need arises''.
The next she heard of the matter was when it was broadcast on February 13, she said.
Her evidence continues before Justice Carolyn Simpson.
------------------------
Another article in the same vein:
HLJ Random Quote of the Week
The following occurs between 3pm and 4pm on the day of my travels to St. Louis:
Me: Schapelle's book is finally being published in the US! In Australia, it was called "My Story" but in the US it's being published under the title "No More Tomorrows."
Friend: Oh, well....I don't like that. *smile*
(This friend and I worked together in a Central American village called More Tomorrow. The thought of it being no more was quite sad. :D)
Schapelle Corby Picture of the Week - 11.5.08
This picture of Schapelle was posted on HBO's site about the upcoming HBO premiere of 'Ganja Queen'. I post it here as an example of all I wish for the United States in relation to Schapelle's case.
Personally, I have told many Americans about this case. Many lack sufficient interest to become actively involved, but several ask consistently how things are going....and they ask with compassion. I have a group of people I email off and on about certain updates, though in more recent times, emails have been sparse, due to the lack of much of anything going on. Not to mention the issue of people who move away, or change email addys.....
Such updates seem to do little sometimes. I am never surprised, never NOT disgusted at how so many Americans just seem completely ambivalent about current affairs or situations outside of their tiny podunk town. Still, because niceties and general politeness demand it, I am calm. I explain what I can. I do so nicely. I just wish it stuck.
Schapelle's story is not on the news in quite the same way as, say, the War on Terror....though the level of disinterest seems to generally be the same. What a shame. In relation to Schapelle's case, it is up to supporters to spread the word. Hence blogs like this one and internet discussion sites like the Forum.
For Americans, it would help if there were some public exposure, and finally, in a small way, it has come. HBO's premiere of 'Ganja Queen' and the US/UK publication of 'No More Tomorrows' have arrived. In the US!
SPREAD THE WORD!!!
It is my hope that Americans are awakened to Schapelle's plight, and that many more hasten to her aid.
Schapelle Corby Visits the United States!
The documentary on Schapelle's case, called 'Ganja Queen', will air on HBO JUNE 30 as part of a series entitled HBO Documentary Films Series. I had previously posted that 'Ganja Queen' would air August 30, so I am grateful that information on the website was posted on the FreeSchapelle forum.
Below is a site listing the documentaries HBO will air in this special series:
http://www.hbo.com/docs/docuseries/swf/summer2008/index.html
This is a site that explains Janine Hoskings' film in (slightly) more detail:
http://www.hbo.com/docs/docuseries/ganjaqueen/index.html
Next, and last, a review from Variety.com on 'Ganja Queen'. I landed on this site from an IMDb link on 'Ganja Queen':
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932495.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 - it is interesting that at the end of the article, the reviewer notes, "one never really sees where the Corby story is going or where it will end up." Well, we are all in the middle of this. Though the comment is a critique of the film, the comment gets it right in this: Schapelle Corby's case is ongoing, and the fight is far from over. Again, we're all in the middle of this.
Below is a site listing the documentaries HBO will air in this special series:
http://www.hbo.com/docs/docuseries/swf/summer2008/index.html
This is a site that explains Janine Hoskings' film in (slightly) more detail:
http://www.hbo.com/docs/docuseries/ganjaqueen/index.html
Next, and last, a review from Variety.com on 'Ganja Queen'. I landed on this site from an IMDb link on 'Ganja Queen':
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932495.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 - it is interesting that at the end of the article, the reviewer notes, "one never really sees where the Corby story is going or where it will end up." Well, we are all in the middle of this. Though the comment is a critique of the film, the comment gets it right in this: Schapelle Corby's case is ongoing, and the fight is far from over. Again, we're all in the middle of this.
The Defamation Trial: My Wishes
I find the defamation trial pressed upon Channel 7 by Mercedes Corby to be an interesting development in Schapelle Corby's case.
Occurring as media reports (many of which originated by questionable means from Channel 7) steadily seem to be turning against Schapelle, this trial attacks some of this negative news at its source: the network itself. Current testimony in the trial centers around Jodie Power, a former best friend of Mercedes who conducted an interview on Ch7 (after failing a lie detector test once) in which she revealed that she had seen Mercedes smoke marijuana, and that she had been personally asked to transport a suspicious package from their house. Mercedes countered the claims. Later, a Channel 7 employee impersonated an Australian federal official and contacted Mercedes saying that he had documents which could free Schapelle. Mercedes met with the man, but upon stepping out of the van with her newborn son, she was greeted by four media cameras, the fake fed, and Jodie Power herself. The meeting had been a farce aimed at arranging a confrontation between Mercedes and Jodie.
Lies are a key faction in this defamation trial. Channel 7 gave Jodie a lie detector test, and Jodie failed it. Upon passing it at a second go-around, they allowed her to air her allegations on Australian national television. The Channel's employees lied to create a dramatic meeting between two enemies. Jodie's ex-husband testified against Jodie, accusing her of crazed dillusions. Certainly, in all this--if not solely because Mercedes' last name is Corby--the question of whether Schapelle lied about the marijuana in her bags has forced itself into viewers' minds.
There is a saying out there somewhere that the truth makes us free. Difficult though truth is sometimes, there is somewhat of a liberating factor accompanied by it. Finally, something is solid. Truth may be freely dealt with excepting doubt. When accusations and attacks are made, as they are in this defamation trial, truth may seem to be slipping farther and farther away. The players involved may become more and more desparate to either cover up the truth or find it and make it known at all costs, so that justice is had.
There is always the risk that should Mercedes' story be accepted as truth by the judge (and I believe Mercedes' story), many will not accept that version. Such is the case when so many accusations are thrown about prior to the truth's publication. A legal verdict backing a story, though, is a damning point against doubters. Therefore, I hope that Mercedes prevails, and that Channel 7 is condemned for the false stories perpetuated against Mercedes.
In reading articles proceeding from this trial, such as the one in the HLJ post below, it is interesting to note that bit by bit, certain factors of Mercedes' and Schapelle's stories are emerging. This time, they emerge as debated issues, not merely as issues pre-decided by certain reporters or certain interviewees.
Some of the issues we see are 1) blows to Jodie's credibility, 2) accusations of Jodie's drug use, 3) Mercedes' opportunity to reaffirm Schapelle's innocence, and 4) the subsequent of Mercedes' testimonies. Others will no doubt arise and others have probably been missed by this human observer.
It is my hope that as these issues emerge, viewers will be steadily exposed to the holes in certain anti-Schapelle arguments. Even if a person does not believe in her innocence or support her firmly, there are many holes in existence. I also hope that observers of the trial will begin to question the issues surrounding Schapelle's story and investigate it further.
I hope the truth DOES COME OUT!
Occurring as media reports (many of which originated by questionable means from Channel 7) steadily seem to be turning against Schapelle, this trial attacks some of this negative news at its source: the network itself. Current testimony in the trial centers around Jodie Power, a former best friend of Mercedes who conducted an interview on Ch7 (after failing a lie detector test once) in which she revealed that she had seen Mercedes smoke marijuana, and that she had been personally asked to transport a suspicious package from their house. Mercedes countered the claims. Later, a Channel 7 employee impersonated an Australian federal official and contacted Mercedes saying that he had documents which could free Schapelle. Mercedes met with the man, but upon stepping out of the van with her newborn son, she was greeted by four media cameras, the fake fed, and Jodie Power herself. The meeting had been a farce aimed at arranging a confrontation between Mercedes and Jodie.
Lies are a key faction in this defamation trial. Channel 7 gave Jodie a lie detector test, and Jodie failed it. Upon passing it at a second go-around, they allowed her to air her allegations on Australian national television. The Channel's employees lied to create a dramatic meeting between two enemies. Jodie's ex-husband testified against Jodie, accusing her of crazed dillusions. Certainly, in all this--if not solely because Mercedes' last name is Corby--the question of whether Schapelle lied about the marijuana in her bags has forced itself into viewers' minds.
There is a saying out there somewhere that the truth makes us free. Difficult though truth is sometimes, there is somewhat of a liberating factor accompanied by it. Finally, something is solid. Truth may be freely dealt with excepting doubt. When accusations and attacks are made, as they are in this defamation trial, truth may seem to be slipping farther and farther away. The players involved may become more and more desparate to either cover up the truth or find it and make it known at all costs, so that justice is had.
There is always the risk that should Mercedes' story be accepted as truth by the judge (and I believe Mercedes' story), many will not accept that version. Such is the case when so many accusations are thrown about prior to the truth's publication. A legal verdict backing a story, though, is a damning point against doubters. Therefore, I hope that Mercedes prevails, and that Channel 7 is condemned for the false stories perpetuated against Mercedes.
In reading articles proceeding from this trial, such as the one in the HLJ post below, it is interesting to note that bit by bit, certain factors of Mercedes' and Schapelle's stories are emerging. This time, they emerge as debated issues, not merely as issues pre-decided by certain reporters or certain interviewees.
Some of the issues we see are 1) blows to Jodie's credibility, 2) accusations of Jodie's drug use, 3) Mercedes' opportunity to reaffirm Schapelle's innocence, and 4) the subsequent of Mercedes' testimonies. Others will no doubt arise and others have probably been missed by this human observer.
It is my hope that as these issues emerge, viewers will be steadily exposed to the holes in certain anti-Schapelle arguments. Even if a person does not believe in her innocence or support her firmly, there are many holes in existence. I also hope that observers of the trial will begin to question the issues surrounding Schapelle's story and investigate it further.
I hope the truth DOES COME OUT!
Jodie Power Was Delusional: Ex-Husband
Friday May 16, 12:39 PM
Jodie Power was delusional: husband
The estranged husband of Jodie Power has told a jury in a defamation case he believed her marijuana smoking was "ruining" her mind and making her delusional during their relationship.
Michael Ripley was called to give evidence on Friday in the NSW Supreme Court by the legal team for Mercedes Corby, who is suing Seven Network Ltd.
Ms Corby, the sister of convicted Bali drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, says she was defamed in interviews with her former best friend, Ms Power, which were broadcast in February last year.
She says she was falsely portrayed as a drug dealer and smuggler. Neither Ms Power nor Ms Corby - who have been at the trial every day since it started three weeks ago - were present in court for Mr Ripley's evidence.
Mr Ripley said he first met Ms Power in late 2001 and they split up in May 2006.
During their five years together Ms Power had smoked marijuana very often, he said.He had told her she needed to stop, he told the court, because "she was becoming delusional" and "it was ruining Jodie's mind".
"She used to think that women were trying to contact me," he said, later describing it as "crazy stuff".
"Jodie's said to me that I have a line underneath the house that I used to contact women," he said. "She said there were messages coming over the TV from lovers."
Mr Ripley described Mercedes Corby as an honest, kind and caring person.
He said on Ms Power's return from Bali in July 2005, she had told him "she wanted to hurt Mercedes".
Schapelle Corby is serving 20 years in a Bali prison after being convicted of smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.
The defamation hearing is continuing before Justice Carolyn Simpson.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080516/2/16vpx.html
Jodie Power was delusional: husband
The estranged husband of Jodie Power has told a jury in a defamation case he believed her marijuana smoking was "ruining" her mind and making her delusional during their relationship.
Michael Ripley was called to give evidence on Friday in the NSW Supreme Court by the legal team for Mercedes Corby, who is suing Seven Network Ltd.
Ms Corby, the sister of convicted Bali drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, says she was defamed in interviews with her former best friend, Ms Power, which were broadcast in February last year.
She says she was falsely portrayed as a drug dealer and smuggler. Neither Ms Power nor Ms Corby - who have been at the trial every day since it started three weeks ago - were present in court for Mr Ripley's evidence.
Mr Ripley said he first met Ms Power in late 2001 and they split up in May 2006.
During their five years together Ms Power had smoked marijuana very often, he said.He had told her she needed to stop, he told the court, because "she was becoming delusional" and "it was ruining Jodie's mind".
"She used to think that women were trying to contact me," he said, later describing it as "crazy stuff".
"Jodie's said to me that I have a line underneath the house that I used to contact women," he said. "She said there were messages coming over the TV from lovers."
Mr Ripley described Mercedes Corby as an honest, kind and caring person.
He said on Ms Power's return from Bali in July 2005, she had told him "she wanted to hurt Mercedes".
Schapelle Corby is serving 20 years in a Bali prison after being convicted of smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.
The defamation hearing is continuing before Justice Carolyn Simpson.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080516/2/16vpx.html
Jodie Power and Mercedes Corby in Court
Following interesting developments in Mercedes Corby's defamation trial against Channel 7, this photo of three important players has emerged. From left to right are Jodie, Michael Ripley (Powers' ex-husband), and Mercedes.
I hate to make judgements, but if Mr. Ripley's testimony as to Jodie's frequent drug use is true, that seems to be substantiated by these photos, wherein Jodie appears haggard and disshevelled. Considering that she and Mercedes are the same age, Jodie seems far more advanced in years.
I simply forward these observations. I hesitated to even post them, but images can be powerful. And sometimes, photos are most all anyone has to go by in making important determinations.
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