Date of Incident: 1983

Date of Conviction: 1984

Exoneration Date: 29-6-1990

Charge: Murder

Conviction: Murder

Sentence: Life imprisonment

Sentence Served: 7 years

Contributing Causes: False confession under police interrogation

Compensation: None

Kelvin CONDREN

Kelvin Condren falsely confessed to murdering his wife Partricia Mary Carlton during a police interrogation.  Mr Condren, an Indigenous Australian, was convicted of the murder and then imprisoned for seven years. Condren was incarcerated regardless of the fact that he was in police custody whilst the murder had taken place. 

Condren’s appeal in March 1987 to the Queensland Court of Criminal Appeal was rejected.  Later new evidence arose to warrant a second appeal.   However, in May 1989 the option for a retrial was rejected.   The evidence was not considered ‘fresh evidence’.  In 1989,a High Court decision in Mickelberg v R meant that High Court  appeals would not accept new or fresh evidence. 

Fortunately, Condren’s evidence issue was brought to the attention of the Queensland Court of Appeal where the Attorney General agreed to submissions to exonerate.