The brother of Cheryl Grimmer, a British toddler who disappeared from a beach in Australia more than 50 years ago, has spoken out, insisting the family still seeks justice. Paul Grimmer, speaking to the Mirror during a visit to London, said, 'We just want justice for my little sister.'
New Hearing Approaches
Paul Grimmer was speaking ahead of a new parliamentary inquiry into missing people that begins in Sydney on Wednesday. He, along with his wife Linda and cousin Michael, expressed anger that the man who admitted killing Cheryl remains free due to a legal technicality. The man can only be identified as 'Mercury'. The family spoke emotionally outside St Paul's Cathedral about Cheryl's disappearance from Fairy Meadow beach in 1970.
Family's Determination
Paul, who now lives in Queensland, said, 'We've had a hard journey but we are hoping we will get justice for Cheryl. We will be at the hearing and putting our recommendations forward. We will be reading our impact statements - and how it has affected us and why we believe there should be changes in the law.' The inquiry will examine how police and authorities handle missing persons cases and what improvements can be made.
Devastating Impact
Linda Grimmer spoke of the devastating impact of three-year-old Cheryl's disappearance in 1970, shortly after the family moved from Bristol to Australia. 'We just all want justice,' she said, describing the ordeal as 'challenging and hard for the family.' Michael added, 'As a family we welcome the Parliamentary Inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons cases that starts later this week. For years now, our concerns about how Cheryl's case has been handled have not in our view been properly addressed by New South Wales authorities.'
Call for Accountability
Michael continued, 'This Inquiry gives us the opportunity to voice our concerns, for them to be properly considered and for changes to be implemented to ensure that no family has to go through what we have endured over the past 56 years. Never again should a detailed and corroborated confession to child abduction and murder be sat hidden in police records for decades, with the victim's family not told of its existence, with the author of that confession not even put in a line-up to see whether witnesses present on the day recognised him. To this day, more than 56 years after Cheryl went missing, there has been no court ruling on whether that confession is true or not. Cheryl deserves better than this and so does the community. There needs to be accountability and there needs to be change.'
Background of the Case
Cheryl went missing after a day at the beach, and despite a lengthy search involving hundreds of police officers and volunteers, her body was never found. A 17-year-old, born in Manchester, confessed to killing her, but because no lawyer or adult was present during the interview, a judge ruled he could not be charged. He still lives in Australia and refuses to help police with their inquiries.
