VIC: Celebrations and media deals in Moe following Leskie case

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-1998
VIC: Celebrations and media deals in Moe following Leskie case

By Bruce Atherton

MELBOURNE, Dec 5 AAP - Celebrations, disbelief, mourning and media deals were plentiful in
the eastern Victorian town of Moe today following the Supreme Court acquittal of Greg
Domaszewicz, the man accused of murdering Jaidyn Leskie.

As Mr Domaszewicz celebrated with family friends, the father of the murdered child, Brett
Leskie, said he was surprised by the verdict which had deprived his family of peace of mind.

"I was hoping someone was going to pay for it and while I thought someone was going to pay,
Id be happy ... certainly we could get on with our lives," Mr Leskie told reporters.

"Its pretty sad, but as the sayings go, its just part of life; youve just got to keep
going in life, dont you?"

Jaidyns grandmother, Elizabeth Leskie, said she was grieving for her grandchild because he
had been murdered and it appeared "nobody did it".

"Im shocked but youve just got to accept it and go on," she said.

But as the Leskies came to terms with the court decision, Mr Domaszewicz and others
involved in the case were reportedly negotiating to sell their stories.

Mr Domaszewicz is believed to be negotiating a deal with 60 Minutes, and his defence lawyer
Colin Lovitt, said the accused deserved "every penny" he could get.

"If he gets a few bob out of this, then bloody good luck to him," Mr Lovitt said.

"He deserves every penny of it. I just hope he hangs on to it. I think what he needs right
now is someone to hold his hand."

Bilynda Murphy, Jaidyns mother, also reportedly has signed a deal with Channel Nine, while
other Moe residents involved in the case, Raymond Hopkinson and Kenneth Penfold, were
reportedly charging several hundred dollars for interviews.

But while key figures in the case remained in the spotlight, the rest of Moe turned out to
welcome 1998 Bathurst winner Jason Bright with a ticker tape parade.

Moe Civic leaders said the town was endeavouring to put the murder behind it, while a
sergeant at Moe police station said it had been an uneventful day as far as the law was
concerned.

"Its all quiet on the Moe front at this stage," he said.

At Leggis Hotel, one barman said: "We have our opinion on it but the town just wants to
get on with their lives."

He said they were sick of media attention and wanted to move on as they had been trying to
do for the last 18 months.

Mary Halket said she felt people were being careful not to be judgmental about the
decision, which she heard on the radio.

"Theyre trying not to talk about it," she said.

"They dont want to drag the town down as in the past 12 months. Theyre sick of it."

She admitted, however, to turning up the news every bulletin yesterday in case a decision
had been announced.

She said like most people in the town, she was not surprised by the decision.

AAP ba/hmg/bjm/de

KEYWORD: TODDLER MOE

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