A QUESTION OF JUSTICE
14.09.1996
By: KOCH A
THE morning of October 25 last year marked the last chapter in the
short, brutal and bloody relationship between Christine Joanne Nash
and Ross Mitchell Farrah. After months of abuse, Christine, a former
jockey's daughter who weighed just 40kg, was kicked to the verge of
death then strangled by her former boyfriend.
The injuries inflicted on Christine were horrific. As police
photographs testify, she was unrecognisable. Although he admitted his
part in the killing, Farrah, a violent paranoid schizophrenic, did not
stand trial and can never be found guilty. In fact, he could be back on
the streets within months. Why?
The reason lies in an unusual aspect of Queensland's justice system
_ the Mental Health Tribunal _ which sets the state apart from every
other jurisdiction in the Commonwealth (see separate report WEEKEND 4).
It is a system which, Christine Nash's family believes, enables violent
people such as Farrah to evade punishment and make a mockery of
justice.
A lengthy investigation by The Courier-Mail has also revealed that
Farrah was the subject of other serious allegations. There are strong
suspicions that he was involved in the death of a friend whom he
suspected of being attracted to Christine. Farrah said he witnessed the
man drown _ accidentally _ on a deserted beach. Christine Nash's
family, friends and even police have serious doubts.
He was also accused of having molested a young girl. In fact,
Farrah's mother pleaded with psychiatric hospital staff just weeks
before the murder of Christine Nash not to release her son as she
considered him dangerous. Her pleas were ignored and Farrah was freed
to kill.
A DEADLY AFFAIR
ROSS Farrah was a student at Brisbane's Nudgee College in 1987 when
his father, police superintendent Cal Farrah confessed to the
Fitzgerald inquiry into police and political corruption that he was a
crooked cop. He'd accepted bribes and pay-offs for years and was
involved in ""The Joke'' _ the corrupt circle of cops headed by bagman
Jack Herbert and then police
commissioner Terry Lewis.
Family friends say the news devastated Ross Farrah and from that
time on his behaviour became irrational and he began drinking and using
marijuana. Soon he fell foul of the law. He was violent, often picking
fights in pubs after he'd had a few drinks. He broke the jaw of a
neighbour after a trivial argument.
His major crime was an armed robbery when he stole from a person
withdrawing funds from an automatic teller machine.
In the past seven years Farrah clocked up 10 convictions and was
imprisoned four times. He was described as having low intelligence, was
a paranoid schizophrenic and had anti-social traits. From prison he
spent periods in the John Oxley Memorial Hospital, and later at the
Winston-Noble psychiatric unit at Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside _
both of which cater for people with psychiatric problems.
While serving his armed robbery term in Wacol prison, he was once
""very upset'' when other prisoners chided him about his father being
on television in relation to the Fitzgerald inquiry.
Early in 1995 he struck up a relationship with Christine Nash at
Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. Christine, 32, the daughter of horse
trainer Ron Nash and his wife Patricia, of Mooloolah, stood just 140cm
tall and weighed 40kg. She was dwarfed by Farrah, 26, who exercised and
kept physically fit to maintain his 184cm, 95kg frame.
Christine had two children, Wade, 13, and Tashauna, 9. She had been
in a relationship with another man for several years, but that was
breaking up and she was attracted to Farrah.
According to Patricia Nash, Farrah had exhibited his violent traits
by May last year. ""Christine and the children were victims of his
violent outbursts and they began to fear for their lives while trying
to escape from him,'' she said. ""But he had a hold over them. In May,
Christine left him and took out a domestic violence protection order.
Family Services became involved and they decided the children should
come and live with us.
""On September 14, Christine again laid charges of assault against
Farrah at the Noosa police station, but the police did not proceed with
them.''
There is ample evidence of the assaults against the young mother.
Affidavits from friends speak of her coming to their home for
protection ""black and blue from him kicking her''. Two doctors also
certify to the brutality of his treatment.
The Salvation Army Emergency Accommodation Service at Tewantin
wrote on August 20 that Christine had been resident with them for the
past three months and had been ""under extreme duress owing to an
oppressive and violent relationship with Ross
Farrah''.
The document said that Christine ""suffered verbal, physical and
emotional abuse rendering her temporarily unable to cope with
motherhood and the management of her own life''.
An affidavit from the Salvation Army home signed on December 11 _
six weeks after Christine's murder _ said she came to their office on
May 26, 1995 ""as a victim of domestic violence perpetrated by Ross
Farrah''.
The home's co-ordinator, Erin Dods, wrote that Farrah's ""horrific
abuse'' was one of the most disturbing cases she had ever had to cope
with in 12 years of working in that field.
""Christine tried in vain to escape the clutches of this very
disturbed man,'' the document states. ""The behaviour perpetrated by
Farrah involved physical, verbal, financial, psychological and sexual
violence against Christine and her two young children.
""When visiting Christine's home in Goodwin Street I frequently
found her so paralysed with fear that she could not utter a sentence.
On these occasions I discovered _ from Christine _ that Ross Farrah was
hiding in either the bedroom cupboard or the ceiling while listening to
our conversations.''
The picture is not pretty.
Dr Mark Norman, of Tewantin, wrote on September 14, 1995 that
Christine had come to his surgery complaining of assault. His
examination revealed bruising to her upper limbs and buttocks and she
was not even fit enough to attend court a week later.
An affidavit supplied by close friend Annette Benson said Christine
was in the relationship with Farrah for only a month when she ""wanted
out''.
""Ross's abusive behaviour became more apparent mentally and
physically. I remember ringing up to see how Chris was getting on and
she couldn't talk because Ross was in one of his bad moods,'' she
wrote. ""The next day she turned up at my house black and blue from her
feet to her neck. I asked her if Ross had done it to her. She said yes
but not with his hands, with his boots. She added, "You know how big
his feet are,' and started to cry.
""He turned up at my house looking for her. She looked like a
frightened child but left with him because she didn't want to cause any
trouble at my house. Over the next couple of months Chris would often
take shelter in my home after running away from him. She decided to
make a clean break and move to her parents' home.
""Chris phoned me saying Ross had been ringing constantly with
threats. On the Friday before Chris died, she rang me to ask if I would
write a statement backing up her statement that he was abusive and
often assaulted her, so she could put him up for assault charges. She
said she might be out of the relationship but he has to be stopped or
his next girlfriend might not be so lucky.''
THE MURDER
CHRISTINE Nash, acting on legal advice, took out a domestic violence
protection order against Farrah at the Maroochydore Magistrates Court
on June 6, 1995. That order prohibited him from coming within 50m of
her or her children, or entering premises where those three people
were.
The order was renewed at Noosa Magistrates Court on September 28
with the notation that Christine was ""frightened for physical safety
of children and self''.
But the orders were useless. Farrah kept coming to her protection
shelter, repeatedly telephoning, breaking in and assaulting her, and
confronting her in public whenever he could. During physical assaults,
when he tired of the punches and kicks, he would launch into verbal
abuse, belittling the woman and telling her she was good for nothing.
His insults centred on her being ""short and ugly''. In fact she
was a pretty young woman, almost child-like in appearance.
Continued WEEKEND 4 VICTIM: Christine Joanne Nash with son Wade. "The behaviour perpetrated
by Farrah involved physical, verbal, financial, psychological and
sexual violence against Christine and her two young children.'
KILLER: Ross Mitchell Farrah. He told police he had kicked Christine
Nash "as hard as I could' in the face for about five minutes, strangled
her and then dumped her body in a schoolyard.
