Raw Emotions: Eden’s Parents Speak Out

Apo Che Production.

Welcome back to our Little Lady and an episode I've been excited to share for some time. In this episode, we're going to catch up with Jason and Amanda, who are busy in Tasmania giving back to someone that's helped them a lot. With an election this weekend. This is less about politics and more about helping someone that's helped Jason and Amanda, what are you doing?

Ambitionite dropping off Jackie Lamby fines mate because she's looked after us, we're looking after her in an election.

We've got the East Coast leg of the signage to put out two volunteers that have offered their fences front randas just a handful of people.

She didn't want to.

Fuss too much about promoting through the election because she said she's done the work and she continues to do the work and it's beats for itself. So we're just a little reminder, but.

They're pretty big signs.

Jay.

In the last episode, you heard Byron Collins with his interim report on Eden's death. Up until now, the coroners have prevented doctor Collins from obtaining photos of the autopsy of Eden.

I've been a little fragile because of the reality of what Byron has described.

And I just feel like.

It's okay how alone Eden felt on that night with all the people that she encountered, not one of them cared enough to come and inform us or bring her home.

And even after her death, the way they handled her, and she was still alone all the way through the pathology and the autopsy.

The people that were handling her, they didn't regard her like they should have.

The people from Dunn's funeral were the only people that had any real grace about themselves with handling Eden's body.

And I just feel like, what a horrible ending to such a beautiful person.

So that's how Amanda feels. Jay. It broke her mate. You know, I read it.

As well, and I mentioned to you last week before when we were raging this date, how that report, that interim report made me feel the emotions, And I'm going to share it with you, Jay, I felt more emotions on that last episode you gave us than I felt

Now there it was three.

Or four days after Eden died, so that was an alarm bell.

I read light shine and on Eden's body at the autopsy.

Yet the police that were investigating it didn't seem to address that paragraph, which we now look at and wonder how that second injury occurred in her neck. Now let's be mindful also, Jay, we didn't ask for the person to come up our driveway on Australia Day to tell us what he.

Was told happened to Eden. Isn't it interesting what he told us.

I'm just really pested off, Jay, and it's upset my whole family. We're picking up pieces because of that report can't be finalized. It's a kick in the guts again from the corner and their groups.

What Jason's saying, when that person found those suspicious injuries, they could have.

Gone back to her little body and checked. And why didn't they check her? Why weren't fingernails scrapings? Don't they took fingerprints of her?

What the hell was that?

And you know me and we know now, Jay, and I'm sure you're aware. There's things that have come out. One of those things is there was a black.

Band under Eden at the tree. Now a hairband.

Talk to me about how you got that.

Yeah. When we asked for the actual all the slides and photographs to be given to the forensic pathologist, doctor Richard Byron Collins, the coroner provided twenty five pitches okayjpeg whatever they're called. Now where we haven't looked at a man like because we don't want to, you know that. However, there's twenty five documented given to him by the coroner

Now that's an anomaly in what the coroners had.

So we're now found out the police had more photos than they provided the coroner, so we wanted to know what was in those photos.

Now, one of them is almost.

Identical to let's say, fote A ten, which is okay interesting, But the second one is a black hairband. Now, Eden didn't have a black hairband on that night.

It's not Eden's hairband.

Were shown that we now know whose hairband that is, because.

Let's think about it, Jaye. All the way back in the start of the podcast, someone was getting their hair braided by Eden that night. Kate Young Kate.

Now I'll guarantee you that hairband has Kate's DNA on it and it's.

Yet again destroyed.

So this is why the police and they're all just trying to close this up, mate, because they got nothing to convict anyone because they fucked Upmrte and they're just trying to do everything they can to nail and hammer this one shut and it's not going to work.

That's not Eden's, that was never DNA tested.

So what we now know is there is no evidence available for the Karner or for the court to convict anyone because they've destroyed it all. And that's embarrassing because of their mistake, and they're trying to handle it over to Jason Vanna and saying, you people are dissatisfied, grieving parents. You need to move on. We've made up our decision. We're right, you're wrong. Bullshit, we're not wrong. You people need to be accountable.

You need to fix this mess.

When you've got someone like Paul Reynolds who is now. I mean, clearly he was in Thick, and the investigating officers since then.

Say he was no part of it. I mean, why is.

This all written and lied about if there was not something to say.

Because he's not a convicted pedophile.

They're saying it's an alleged so they're saying he's a good guy and they're going to back him all the way to the grave.

Just be really quite just stuff.

Sorry, Jay, we're a bit. Yeah, you've got us. Yeah, the last few weeks have been really tough on us.

And I do want to thank you for having that last episode with doctor Byron Collins, because it really opened up my eyes to what's going on and it's made me, as you can hear, I've got a lot of emotions going on inside me. My chemicals, every fiber at different stages is hot, and I haven't felt that in a while, probably since I was in a multi kickbox and Marie.

Mate. They're bringing out the worst in me, but I'm not going to let him destroy me.

I'm going to be strong and I'm going to get through this and I'm not giving up, mate, because I think we're really close. Mate, And thank you j be because they thought they could silence us, and they probably could because they're in a small little town on the east coast of Tasmania where you know, secret squirrel business happens.

But you know, with what you've done, We've.

Got to tell our story and no one will believe without doubt.

We've created the doubt for people to now believe us.

We've not only created doubt to believe, we've got strong evidence that Eden met foul play.

And when not going away, Jay, I can continue that conversation with you.

We are going to continue to fight this till we get the truth written and Eden's name cleared.

You can hear the Jason and Amanda are angry at how hamstrung they are with the current rules around moving forward with this case. How are you feeling now, do you feel like you're closer.

Closer to what Jay?

You know, if these people are in control of the actual investigation or if they're in control of opening.

Up the Jason, we are closer than ever.

This is the closest that we've ever been because.

We all now now through doctor Borron Collins that you know, how they determined ed and died in the seventeenths is inadequate. You know that there's just no reason to say she where did he give? What did she rely on to come back with that? What? There was medical evidence.

There was no evidence about the mental anguish.

There was no evidence about the way that Eden was found, There was no evidence of her pathway, like I told you.

Complete then this is almost laughable.

They're saying in the police's statements through your Rights of Information, and we've got a couple of police officers as saying this that Amanda Westbrook told them that the rape came from our place off a craypot.

Okay, now I only owned two crape pots. That's one from a maund of one for me. You've gotta have a license for it. Now, I spliced my rapes on the pot jay, so they go through the pot, then they come in and then they get spliced and burnt, so they're very sealed and says the other end on two boys.

So for hypothetically to have got our crypot rapes, she would have had to use a sharp knife and she would have had to cut them.

Not only that, they would have actually been taken from the craypots.

Now, you would think if Amanda.

Had told these police offers that have put in there after David's and they've sworn statements that Amanda had said this, you'd think you'd go up there and check those crypots.

Wouldn't you, especially if you dropped me off.

Guess what, mate, No one come to our place and.

Checked the crypots, and if they did, they would have found the rape didn't come from our crpepots because they were still on the cratepots.

Now we've also found, now that.

We've got rights of freedom of information, that the rape's not even the same as the crypot ropes we had. Anyway, it's all self serving written on their behalf just to all just say this is what's happened. Let's all just fucking say that Eden killed us up and we'll sign this off and we'll silence the Westbrooks, cheat them badly and they'll sell up and they'll move. We're not settling up, Jay, We're building a house a little time at home. I've

And there's some really good people here, Mate.

I've made lifelong friends out of what's happened over the last couple of years since your podcast. People have come out of the woodwork, mate, and there are one hundred percent behind it. Some don't want to be seen with us, but they're given a silent support. And those that do want to be seen with us, they've got their chests out, mate, they're walking tall beside us.

So we're going to get to the bottom of it, Jay.

And Eden is not the only person child who they've done this with. That's why if they release the autopsy photos, it's.

A Pandora's box.

They're going to have to explain themselves to many other families across Tasmania going to ask.

I wonder there fight against it, They've going to.

Want to see the same because the admiration that Jason and I are receiving is quite humbling for what we have pursued and what we've endured.

As Jason and Amanda talked, it was a stark reminder to me that the last three seasons of this podcast have been about the story of Eden Westbrook, but more it's about their family and their daughter.

Because it takes courage to share this sad story about our daughter. Honey, when I read what's in the paper, when I hear what's being spoke about, that's our daughter is So I don't know if you, even your audience can understand what to share this story.

It's as good as it's been, it's also it has been hard for us, Jade, because this is our daughter we're talking about.

We're talking about a fifteen year old girl found hung in the main street of.

The seaside town on the East case of taserradia.

That's not something to be you know, we're not proud of that, mate. You know, we're not ashamed of it either. But it's our daughter.

So the emotions is something I can't explain.

For more than a year, Jason and Amanda have had more peace working quietly in the background. You'll notice we haven't spoken of their old barrister who no longer works on Eden's case. But the good news is that Jason and Amanda have secured the services of an elite Australian barrister who's going to work on this case pro bono for no other reason than to help the family. This new practicing barrister is currently tied up in a high

Confident to have this personal, high profile barrister with the high profile case currently underway.

So we've got a bit of correspondence back and forth.

It's looking really good, Jay and once he's finished with this case he's dealing with at the moment, and he's extremely interested in getting to the bottom of this situation.

So just like that, excellent news, and it means that legally you can continue to push forward without having that sort of and I guess I can sense the frustration, the anger and also the hope.

Yes, those two words you just use frustration and hope that they're probably too I missed out on my emotions when I read doctor Borron Collins' report, Jay, They're very descriptive of how I felt, to be honest.

There's one more final bit of good news that was released in the last few weeks from the Attorney General, Guy Barnett. This letter that was dated the ninth of April. He wrote to Jason Amanda. These are his words, but not his voice.

Dear mister and missus Westbrook, I am writing to thank you for the feedback you provided on the draft Justice and Related Legislation Miscellaneous Amendments Bill twenty twenty five to Bill. Firstly, I want to offer my sincere apologies that you were not notified of the consultation period for this bill. This was an oversight and I will personally make sure that you are kept informed as these important reforms progress. In that spirit, today I will be tabling the final bill

I want to ask how you felt when you saw that letter from Guy Barnett come through.

It was a long time coming, but it felt like there is going to be some sincere justice when that legislation has changed.

And I think he's since there.

I think Guy has seen enough paperwork from us to have evidence to support that movement, and he has, and this is the only real authority or power that he had to obtain these autopsy photos. That's how tricky the Coroner's Act has been previously to this new act coming about.

And I found since that most.

People would expect this to be something that goes without question or goes without say. It just should automatically happen in such an office.

It's a privilege to have someone of the caliber of God as Attorney General Staan in Tasmanian Parliament and speak.

Highly of Amanda and I in our family.

I don't know if you heard what he said on that day, Jay, but it was quite humbling and he almost I felt respects us for what we're doing.

And then we got gun fighting, Jackie.

You know, So we got these two politicians, which but not always a line.

You know this, Jay, Yeah, we got these two.

From different groups fighting for our family, and that's power.

So you say how I felt when the letter come mate, I've got.

Letters coming from attorney generals wanting to change legislation in Tasmania because of the noise you and I am Amanda have made j and Jackie and you know, I say, I feel empowered a little and I really do hope we can get these autopsy photos to doctor Byron Collins, and I hope he can finish his report because as at the moment for him to come back with Eden's deaths undetermined. That's doing my head in mate, because.

So this legislation allows you to have any of the files that the current has, but it only allows you to have them right now, so it hasn't really changed the fact that doctor Byron Collins can't see them.

Yeah, because we're.

Not saying that they would do that.

We're just saying, in a hypothetical we have been that's right, we've been gagged. We were being told when we receive this we cannot share it with anybody but the people which we have missed, which we haven't, and we don't want that to be for somebody to go through. We want the person to be confidently okay, granted the information. Grant the information firstly, and then pass it on to someone who specifies specifically in these areas.

An expert, and we're not that. We're a mom and dad mate.

No mom and dad will be that.

So it's it's silly just to say, Okay, we'll give it to the parents.

Let's make them even feel worse by giving the autosy photos.

To the parents. It can't happen. It's got to go to the experts. It's got to go to the professionals.

And the family do not need to see their loved ones in that consent of.

The next of kin or the parent or whomever is.

It doesn't matter how strong you are, that will break you.

I'm sorry because I get hearing things.

I couldn't imagine to see it. I just couldn't.

I've read some pretty horrific things on my door to Jay, and I'm sure throughout the last couple of years you've had some correspondence come through your desk, which is hard to read because you too are a father mate.

You know,