Shandee Blackburn’s ex-boyfriend and accused killer John Peros is facing a large legal bill after losing his defamation case against The Australian’s investigative podcast Shandee’s Story, four years after a coroner ruled he savagely stabbed Blackburn to death on the streets of Mackay, Queensland.
Peros’ defamation claim was dismissed in Queensland’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, August 27 after Judge Peter Applegarth found he had failed to prove he suffered serious harm to his reputation.
Justice Applegarth said that “unsurprisingly, the coroner’s finding that the plaintiff (Peros) violently killed Blackburn was widely reported… Those publications have remained online since their first publication.”
Peros sued Shandee’s sister, Shannah Blackburn, along with The Australian and journalist Hedley Thomas over episode 13 of the Shandee’s Story podcast.
By the time the flagged episode aired, listeners would have already concluded that Peros was the killer, despite a jury acquitting him of the murder, Justice Applegarth said.
“The plaintiff has not discharged his burden of proof that episode 13 caused serious harm to his reputation. The appropriate order is that the proceeding is dismissed,” he added.
The judge ordered Peros to pay the defendants’ legal expenses, with the total bill for both sides expected to be well over half a million dollars.
Shannah has spoken of the distress the proceedings caused her and welcomed the findings. “It’s a relief. A little win, one of the first we’ve ever had in a court of law,” she said.
Source: The Australian.
