Outrage as police reject key recommendation in Mona Lisa and Cindy case

A Bourke family’s three-decade struggle for justice took a disappointing turn this week as NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb rejected a recommendation made by Coroner and Magistrate Teresa O’Sullivan in April this year.
Magistrate O’Sullivan stated that racial bias marred the initial investigation into the 1987 deaths of Bourke cousins, Mona Lisa Smith, 16, and Jacinta “Cindy” Smith, 15 on the Enngonia Road.
Ms O’Sullivan’s recommendation called for the NSW Police Commissioner to establish guidelines for reviewing cases upon request by the Attorney-General, but in a shock rebuttal, the Police Commissioner’s response stated the recommendation was “not supported.”
The girls died after accepting a ride from Alexander Grant, a 40-year-old Bourke man. Mr Grant later faced charges related to culpable driving and indecent interference with Cindy’s body. He was acquitted in 1990 of all charges.
In 2018, the National Justice Project, an advocacy organisation supporting the family, lobbied for a fresh inquest. […]
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