Dial $50,000 for murder tale
A CRIME that horrified a state has become a nice little earner for some.
Channel 9 last night paid thousands of dollars for an interview with the wife of Max Sica. He is locked away for 35 years for murdering the three Singh children in their Bridgeman Downs home in 2003.
Victims of crime have labelled the transaction "disgusting", less than a month after Sica was found guilty.
Nine claims it did not pay Shiv Sica. Instead, Brisbane public relations agent Lyall Mercer, who claims to also act on behalf of churches and the LNP, says he was paid for arranging the interview.
Mrs Sica last night told A Current Affair that her husband was innocent and that the trial had taken a toll on her and the couple's six-year-old daughter.
Sica is serving the longest jail sentence in Queensland history for the murders of Neelma, 24, Kunal, 18, and Sidhi Singh, 12.
The Courier-Mail understands Mr Mercer contacted media outlets to negotiate the interview, indicating that a $50,000 fee could be paid to him rather than direct to the Sica family.
Mr Mercer denied money was passed on to the family but any fee paid to him was "commercial in-confidence".
"I wouldn't be in a position to comment on anything but those figures ($50,000) are out of the world," he said.
"It was really done because Shiv was wanting to do something, she was being approached for interviews."
Today Tonight producer Rodney Lohse said he declined Mr Mercer's request for $50,000.
"I obviously asked whether he was expecting a fee and he said yes, and that a figure that had been mentioned from another program was $50,000," Lohse said.
"I told him it was going to be a very hard sell, considering the guy is a convicted murderer with an extensive criminal history. I said I didn't even think it was legal."
ACA bureau chief Amanda Paterson said no money had been paid directly to the Sica family. But she refused to comment on whether Mercer PR, or anyone else was paid.
"For the record, ACA has not paid Shiv Sica or the Sica family one cent," Paterson said.
"Mercer PR contacted us like they did a number of media outlets. The family was great but no money changed hands . . . with the Sica family."
Queensland Homicide Victims' Support Group general manager Ross Thompson, whose son and two others were tortured and killed in 2005, said he was angry and disgusted.
"This is disgusting," he said. "Shirley (the Singh siblings' mother) is going to be devastated. It's just insane."
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COMMENTS ON NEWS ARTICLE ABOVE HEADED....
Dial $50,000 for murder tale
What i find disgusting is a newspaper using such a headline as the one used above.
Without even verifying one shred of what they printed, they decided to print it anyway. BUT.. after all that i have learnt about how it all works, i really should not be surprised.
Disgusted and outraged is what people should be. An innocent man has been convicted of a crime he did not commit. He, his family and supporters have every right to fight for true justice to prevail.
As for the comments made by Mr Ross Thompson... I am truly sorry for the murder of your son and others. I can understand the pain and grief. I do not know the details surrounding your sons case. In Mr Sica`s case, he was charged and convicted on assumptions, circumstances and hear say. Not one shred of DNA or forensic evidence against him, no hard facts, no smoking gun. The prosecution did not even need to have a motive.
A victim is also a person who has been wrongly convicted of a crime. There have been quite a few well documented cases regarding wrong convictions, some are stated on this blog.
What would you do if your partner, parent, friend or sibling was convicted of a crime they did not commit? Would you accept the conviction and move on? Would you fight with whatever means you have at your disposal to help an innocent person be freed? Or would you just give up?
Max Sica and his family have been and are going through hell. Mentally, physically and financially tested. STILL, this will not deter them. They stand united and determined and will never give up, their spirit will not be broken.
To be a victim is a horrible thing, especially when you are the victim of a horrendous crime. It is also horrible to be a victim when you are wrongly convicted and truly innocent and the justice system allows such an injustice to occur.
Max Sica has always had a trial by media. He has been in the media headlines regarding the murders since 2003. Even for a traffic offence he was in the media, the heading would always be.... the man accused of murdering the Singh siblings... etc.
Laws should change regarding media hype. How can a person get a fair trial when they are splattered all over the media with half truths and sometimes just sheer lies? This all before they were ever charged with a crime or had at least a chance to have their day in court.
Most media are the ones making the real money and destroying lives in the process without a care or an ounce of decency. This all done legally because they have the power and the rights to do so. If it was i or you to do this to a person, we would be charged with defamation, obstruction to privacy etc.
Think about it, you never know, you could be next.
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