Overview
- Jeremy Buckingham named the man long referred to as “Mercury” and read the suppressed 1971 confession in the NSW upper house, describing an abduction from Fairy Meadow Beach and a killing at Bulli Pass.
- The confession, recorded when the suspect was 17, was later ruled inadmissible because no parent, adult or lawyer was present and psychiatric evidence found him particularly vulnerable, leading the DPP in 2019 to drop the case.
- Media still cannot publish the man’s identity due to protections for juvenile proceedings, and the Legislative Council president cautioned MPs to use privilege responsibly as the opposition leader urged care.
- NSW Police say the case remains open and a A$1 million reward stands, as Cheryl Grimmer’s family issued an ultimatum before the naming and backs fresh police action and a parliamentary inquiry into unsolved cases.
- A specific detail in the 1971 account about the child being lifted to a water fountain has been cited by a former detective as persuasive, though Cheryl’s body has never been found and the suspect lives freely under legal suppression.