Fourth inquest in ‘dingo baby’ case

A coroner opened Australia’s fourth inquest into the most notorious and bitterly controversial legal drama in the nation’s history: The 1980 death of a nine-week-old baby whose parents say was taken by a dingo from her tent in the outback.

Azaria Chamberlain’s mother, Lindy, was convicted and later cleared of murdering her and has always maintained that a wild dog took the baby.

She and her ex-husband, Michael Chamberlain, are hoping fresh evidence they have gathered about dingo attacks on children will convince Northern Territory coroner Elizabeth Morris and end relentless speculation that has followed them for 32 years.

Anne Lade, a former police officer hired by the court to investigate the case, told a packed courtroom that in the years since Azaria disappeared, there had been numerous dingo attacks on humans, some of them fatal.

Rex Wild, a lawyer assisting the coroner, described several of the attacks and said he believed the evidence showed a dingo could have been responsible for Azaria’s death.

“Although it [a dingo killing a child] may have been regarded as unlikely in 1980 ... it shouldn’t be by 2011-12,” he said.

“With the additional evidence in my submission, your honour should accept on the balance of probabilities that the dingo theory is the correct one.”

Ms Morris adjourned the hearing and a decision is expected next week.

Azaria’s death certificate still lists her cause of death as “unknown”. The Chamberlains say they want to set the record straight on behalf of their daughter.

Azaria vanished from her tent on Aug 17, 1980

“It gives me hope this time that Australians will finally be warned and realise that dingoes are a dangerous animal,” Lindy said outside the courthouse in Darwin.

“I also hope that this will give a final finding which closes the inquest into my daughter’s death, which so far has been standing open and unfinished.”