So it begins... Justice is already failing Tiahleigh and her family

Tiahleigh Palmer death: Foster brother admits lying to police investigating schoolgirl’s death Melanie Petrinec, The Courier-Mail July 28, 2017 12:00am Subscriber only TIAHLEIGH Palmer’s foster brother kept his family’s secret about her murder out of fear for his life, after his father allegedly claimed she was not the first person he killed. Joshua Thorburn will serve three months of a 15-month sentence ­behind bars after he admitted he lied to police and the crime and corruption watchdog to cover up what really happened to the 12-year-old on October 29, 2015. The 21-year-old pleaded guilty to perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice in the Beenleigh District Court, where details emerged about the Thorburn ­family’s pact to keep secret her ­alleged murder at the hands of patriarch Rick Thorburn. The court was told that Rick Thorburn called a family meeting the night Tiahleigh was allegedly killed and asked wife Julene, youngest son Trent, and Joshua not to bring their phones. Joshua Thorburn will spend the next three months behind bars. Joshua’s father Rick Thorburn was last month committed to stand trial for murder, but has not entered a plea. Picture: Jack Tran Crown prosecutor David Nardone said that Rick Thorburn allegedly revealed 18-year-old Trent had sex with Tiahleigh, and they had to protect him, so “Tia was no longer with us”. “He (Joshua) admitted that he understood this to mean that his ­father had killed Tiahleigh,” Mr Nardone said. Defence barrister Jeff Hunter QC said afterwards, Josh Thorburn went to his room and sat with his phone in his hand and “agonised” over what to do. “Of course he wishes that he did the right thing immediately,” he said. Tiahleigh Palmer disappeared on October 30, 2015. But it would be almost a year before he told the truth. In a statement to police the day Tiahleigh’s body was found on the banks of the Pimpama River on November 5, 2015, he claimed not to know what happened to the child and also feigned ignorance at a Crime and Corruption Commission hearing about six months later. Mr Nardone said when the truth was revealed in September last year, he told police he was scared about what his father would do if he broke ranks. “He told police that he was scared for his safety about what his father would do, but accepted that his ­father had not threatened him in any way,” the prosecutor said. Defence barrister Jeff Hunter QC said that fear came from Rick Thorburn telling him it was not the first time he had killed. “Mr Thorburn senior told my ­client many years ago, prior to his birth and possibly in New Zealand, he killed a guard in some institution he was being housed at,” he said. “Some of the stories he had been told about his father’s background also suggested he was a man who was well accustomed to violence.” Mr Hunter said that no one knew if the story was true and there was no ­evidence Rick Thorburn directly threatened his son to stick to the story, but his client was “well and truly afraid of him”. He said his client lied at a CCC hearing after being driven there by his father. Cindy Palmer (left), mother of slain Brisbane schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer leaves Beenleigh court with family and friends after Joshua Thorburn's sentencing. Picture: AAP/Glenn Hunt “On the way there, there was a conversation about what he should say. Similarly, his father collected him from the commission as well, so his lies to the CCC have to be assessed in that way,” he said. Mr Hunter said his client acknowledged he obstructed a challenging investigation and he was deeply remorseful. “He was in a sense trapped by the lie and had to go along with it,” he said. The court was told surveillance from their home revealed Julene Thorburn told the family on September 12 last year, just a week before they were all charged, to “stick to the same story about her going to school the next day”. Judge Craig Chowdhury said it was a “disgraceful and immoral plan” to conceal the alleged “cold and calculated” murder of a 12-year-old girl. “ ... I accept you were fearful, legitimately, of your father and in no small part from your sudden awareness of what he was actually capable of,” he said. Joshua Thorburn, the brother of slain Brisbane schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer, arrives at Beenleigh court. Picture: AAP Image/Glenn Hunt He said if he came forward earlier, proper focus could have been made “on the real killer of Tiahleigh”. Rick Thorburn was last month committed to stand trial for murder, but has not entered a plea. His wife is due to be sentenced this year on perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice charges. Trent Thorburn is charged with incest, perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Judge Craig Chowdhury yesterday sentenced Joshua to nine months in jail for perverting the course of justice and 15 months in jail for perjury for concealing the alleged murder of a 12-year-old girl. The sentence handed down at Beenleigh District Court will be suspended after he serves three months. Tiahleigh Palmer’s body was found in November 2015. Judge Chowdhury said it was a “disgraceful and immoral plan”. “Every citizen has as a moral obligation to assist the police and the courts to detect crime and prevent crime,” he said. He said if Josh Thorburn had come forward earlier, proper focus could have been made “on the real killer of “Tiahleigh”. Outside court, Tiahleigh Palmer’s mother, Cindy Palmer, expressed her devastation about the sentence. “Obviously the justice system has let us down horribly today,” she said. “But most of all they’ve let down Tiahleigh and her fight for justice.” A supporter said the family would write to the Attorney-General and wanted to appeal.