Jill Meaghers Murder
21 September 2012
The disappearance of Jill Meagher sent the social media world into overdrive, asking for clues as to what happened to Jill after she left a local Brunswick bar late one night to walk the 550m to the nearby apartment she shared with her husband.
A serial criminal with a violent past had ambushed Jill, raping and strangling her in a nearby alleyway. This crime sent a shock wave through Melbourne. It was so violent, random and brazen and it resounded deeply with the Victorian community.
Community calls to Crime Stoppers, CCTV footage and intense police investigations all provided valuable intelligence to investigators a net was drawn around the main suspect. Five days later 41 year old parolee Adrian Bailey was in custody. Bailey led Police to Gisborne South in rural Victoria, where he had buried Jill’s body in a shallow grave.
Adrian Bailey was found guilty and jailed for 35 years. He will be 76 years old before he is eligible for parole. The Victorian Government has since changed the parole laws to be much tougher on repeat offenders due to this case.