A Day In The Eye Of A Media Storm: Reporting The Gittany Verdict
In the media section of courtrooms, the mood is often less than sombre. This verdict, however, was different.
To say that the Simon Gittany murder trial entranced all of Sydney would not be an overstatement. It was a case that really had everything: a glamorous victim, hidden cameras, accusations of spying and an expensive high-rise apartment in the middle of the CBD.
Gittany was accused of murdering his fiancée; of throwing 30-year-old Canadian dancer Lisa Harnum off their 15th floor balcony in 2011. The four-week trial dominated headlines for weeks, with the lurid details and gripping images making the front page of every Sydney newspaper.
But all of that was nothing compared to the trial’s explosive conclusion yesterday, when Justice Lucy McCallum carefully and coolly recited the facts of the case for over four hours before coming to her verdict. This was unusual in itself – I’ve been a journalist for seven years, and have never heard of a verdict going for longer than an hour. Maybe two in some particularly complicated corporate business cases, but certainly not four-and-a-half. Added to that was the packed public gallery and the media section of the courtroom, all of whom — including myself — were frantically tweeting the desperately sad details.
In the media section of courtrooms, the mood is often less than sombre. Most court reporters have seen and heard many unspeakable things and can frankly become quite blasé about the often graphic details of cases. It’s a coping mechanism that allows us to get our jobs done with as little emotion as possible.
This verdict, however, was different. As Justice McCallum continued to read, she went into extraordinary detail, reading out whole text message exchanges between Gittany and Harnum, and Harnum and her mother. This verdict painted a full and gripping picture of a woman so trapped, so wholly dominated by a jealous and controlling man, that she wasn’t allowed to choose her own clothes, and had only her personal trainer and counsellor left as friends. It was impossible not to get caught up in the emotion.
As we documented the verdict in real time through Twitter, the response was extraordinary. #Gittany was a trending topic for hours, and people from all over the world retweeted and replied to our missives — weighing in with their two cents, and trying to anticipate which way the ruling would go. I was contacted by Australians in Vietnam and Russia who said they were glued to their phones, watching the courtroom drama unfold.
When the guilty verdict was handed down I, like many other journalists in the room, was shaking with adrenaline. Justice Lucy McCallum had built up the suspense for hours, outlining the months of mental abuse that ended in such tragedy. As the verdict was read out, there was a loud angry outburst from Gittany’s new girlfriend Rachelle Louise, who screamed at Justice McCallum and had to be physically restrained and walked forcibly out of the room. Her screams from outside could still be heard for several minutes. The media-pack scrambled to document this as well as the verdict, trying to explain in 140 characters the truly extraordinary scenes that had unfolded.
Rachelle Louise then made a surprise appearance outside the courthouse, walking willingly into a waiting media pack which almost looked ready to devour her. With mascara smeared on her cheeks, still shaking from the guilty verdict which had been delivered only minutes before, Louise demanded a cigarette lighter from the cameramen who were only inches from her face. She seemed so vulnerable and yet also oddly complicit to this hounding by a media trying to make sense of what was happening. She stood in front of us, shaking a little in her high heels and refusing to answer questions. Just smoking and staring into camera lenses as the media throng surged and shoved to get a better shot. She turned the tables at one point, silently filming the gathered media with her phone. After about five minutes the pack stepped back from her, realising she wasn’t going to say anything. It was one of the strangest moments in a strange day.
About 15 minutes later the press was mesmerised as a dignified but devastated Joan Harnum paid tribute to her daughter Lisa. In front of the media scrum of probably 50 journalists, cameramen and sound recorders, she softly said, “We will always mourn the loss of our beautiful Lisa Cecilia and are working towards making her legacy a powerful wake-up call to young women and to parents, siblings and friends of these young women, to be aware of the warning signs of a controlling relationship and take a proactive approach to assisting them.”
I think it’s those words that best explain the suspense in that room yesterday, and the unprecedented public interest in this murder trial. It was the sudden recognition of how easy it is for a smart, strong and independent woman to be controlled and manipulated by someone they love. To be too scared to leave despite the extensive mental and often physical abuse. Lisa Harnum sounded like an intelligent woman, a loving daughter and sister and a wonderful friend, but she fell in love with a man who treated her monstrously, and who she wasn’t able to escape. I believe that the story resonated with everyone in that court room and everyone following it online simply because of how frighteningly easily something like that could happen to them, or to someone they know.
Domestic violence support groups have welcomed the verdict, saying they are hopeful the case will prompt other victims and their friends and family to act. I hope that is the case. I hope we don’t remember this trial just for the drama, the sensationalism and the media storm that surrounded it. Of course people do love the vicarious thrills of a murder mystery, and can easily forget that real people are at the centre of it. As journalists, the adrenaline surge of covering a story like this is huge – but we shouldn’t forget that these stories aren’t something to just beat up for headlines and airtime.
I hope that when this media circus dies down, it’s all seen in a different way. I hope it’s seen simply as the tragic story of a young woman who died at the hand of her lover — and that others can use the story as inspiration to escape their own impossible situation.
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Lucy Carter wrapped up the day’s events for ABC Radio’s current affairs program PM, with Mark Colvin; to listen, click here.
Each week, one woman is killed by her partner or former partner in Australia. To join White Ribbon’s campaign to stop violence against women in Australia, click here.
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Lucy Carter is a radio and television journalist for ABC News. She tweets at @lucethoughts and puns too much.
Feature image screen shot from TEN.