Case 143
Leigh Leigh
*** Content Warning: Sexual assault, child sexual abuse, victim blaming ***
Teenagers in the New South Wales town of Stockton Beach were excited as they gathered at the North Stockton Surf Club to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of a schoolmate. 14-year-old Leigh Leigh promised her parents she’d be waiting at their designated meeting spot in four hours time. When she didn’t arrive, they immediately knew something was wrong.
The following morning, Leigh Leigh’s beaten and abused body was found lying on the beach. It soon emerged that the party had zero adult supervision and that alcohol and cannabis had been in steady supply. As investigators dig to uncover the truth about what happened to Leigh Leigh, a disturbing story of toxic masculinity, peer pressure and victim-blaming at its utmost degree begin to emerge.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Eileen Ormsby
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
BOOKS
Who killed Leigh Leigh? A story of shame and mateship in an Australian town – by Kerry Carrington
NSW CRIME COMMISSION REPORT
POLICE INTEGRITY COMMISSION REPORT
Police Integrity Commission Report to Parliament
ACADEMIC PAPERS
In Her Death She Remains as the Limit of the System – by Morrow & San Roque, (1996) 18 Sydney Law Review 474 (SL)
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
RADIO COVERAGE
‘Sticks and Stones: The Killing of Leigh Leigh’ – ABC Radio National – Background Briefing: 29 September 1996
ARCHIVE ARTICLES
A death in the sand – Sydney Morning Herald, June 13, 2004
In Cold Blood – Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, November 24, 1990