Thursday, 17 January 2019

Gable Tostee rants over unfair treatment in Kiwi Warriena Wright death case (Jan. 14, 2019)

The Australian man acquitted of killing New Zealand woman Warriena Wright who fell to her death from the balcony of his Gold Coast apartment in 2014 has today posted a lengthy diatribe on Facebook, asking if a murder charge would be laid if the genders were reversed in such a case.

Gable Tostee was acquitted in 2016 of the murder and manslaughter of 26-year-old New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright, who fell from the 14th floor balcony of his Surface Paradise apartment in 2014.

His trial was told that Mr Tostee forced Ms Wright on to his balcony and locked the door after she threw decorative rocks at him following drunken sex. She then fell to her death.

In today's post on Facebook, Mr Tostee, who now goes by the name Eric Thomas, wrote that he didn't think a woman would be "dragged through a trial" in such a case.

"If a man went to a woman's apartment, got himself blind drunk, became aggressive without any provocation and started violently attacking her, verbally abusing her, throwing her things at her, refused to leave and then attacked her with a piece of metal and then climbed off her 14th floor balcony after she managed to lock him outside in desperation, would she be charged with murder?" he wrote.

"Would she be dragged through trial, vilified, shamed and defamed even if fully acquitted? I don't think so. If it's not ok to do it to a woman, it's not ok to do it to anyone."

Mr Thomas tagged his post with hasttags including "hypocrisy", "doublestandards" and "inequality".

The prosecution argued at his trial that Mr Tostee intimidated Ms Wright so greatly that she felt her only option was to try to climb from the balcony.

His defence argued he had used reasonable force to protect himself and his property.

His tirade on Facebook today comes after reports at the weekend that he could face an inquest into Ms Wright's death and potentially, new charges.

Australian media reported that a coroner has not ruled out a coronial hearing into Ms Wright's death, and that Mr Tostee could face fresh charges if "new and compelling evidence" is uncovered in a coronial inquest.