'Catastrophic failure': Cheryl Grimmer family gives Premier deadline

Cheryl Grimmer's family has written to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns and Attorney-General Michael Daley, demanding a review of the case against the man once charged with her murder. The family argues that the 1971 police interview should not have been excluded under child protection laws introduced later in 1987. They have given the government a deadline of September 29 to provide a response, threatening to seek parliamentary support for an independent audit of the case if their request is denied.

Cheryl Grimmer disappeared at the age of three from a beach in Wollongong, and her body has never been found. In 1971, a 17-year-old confessed to abducting and killing her, leading to a police interview that was later deemed inadmissible due to child protection laws. The case was discontinued in 2019 after a judge ruled that the interview could not be used as evidence.

The family has accused the state's top prosecutor of a "catastrophic failure of public accountability" and called for an independent review of the 56-year-old cold case. If the government does not act by September 29, the family intends to request supportive members of the NSW Legislative Council to seek government records related to the case.