Is it a crime to attempt to murder a corpse?

03/18/25 • 30 min

Today’s case has been described as one of the most bizarre cases in recent Australian legal history, with a climax mirroring one of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels.

Guest: Dr Natalia Antolak-Saper, criminal law scholar, Monash University

Case: R v Darrington [2016] VSC 60

Further Reading: Man jailed for eight years for attempting to murder a corpse (The Age, 29 February 2026)

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Today’s case has been described as one of the most bizarre cases in recent Australian legal history, with a climax mirroring one of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels.

Guest: Dr Natalia Antolak-Saper, criminal law scholar, Monash University

Case: R v Darrington [2016] VSC 60

Further Reading: Man jailed for eight years for attempting to murder a corpse (The Age, 29 February 2026)

* * * * *

🎙️ Thinking of making a podcast?

You need Miniature Creative, the producer of Case In Point.

Podcasts aren’t just entertaining for listeners. For your brand they build authority, trust and help you create deeper connections with your audience.

Get in touch 👉 www.miniaturecreative.com.au ✉️ [email protected]

Previous Episode

Doping in Sport: The Shayna Jack case

What happens when an athlete is punished for doping, but the athlete has no idea how the drugs entered their system?

In 2019 the Australian swimming world was rocked by news that champion swimmer Shayna Jack had returned a positive test for a banned performance enhancing drug.

The ensuing legal battle, including the penalties awarded against Jack, has exposed the challenges athletes face under current global anti-doping rules.

Guests:

Paul Horvath, Principal at SportsLawyer. Lawyer for Shayna Jack.

Associate Professor Catherine Ordway, Sport Integrity Research Lead, University of Canberra.

Case:

Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) v. Shayna Jack & Swimming Australia, CAS 2021/A/7579 & 7580, 16 September 2021.

Further Reading:

Tennis is facing an existential crisis over doping. How will it respond? by Catherine Ordway (The Conversation, 12 January 2025)

The US has exposed the World Anti-Doping Agency’s precarious funding model by Catherine Ordway (The Conversation, 20 January 2025)

Paul Horvath speaks on ABC Sport Podcast about the Jannik Sinner doping case (Best of ABC Sport, 17 February 2025)

Doping to Win: The Risks for Feeder Clubs and Their Athletes by Alexandria Anthony (SportsLawyer blog, 6 February 2025)

Australia Anti-Doping Processes: Balancing a Level Playing Field Against Unintentional Offences by Paul Horvath (SportsLawyer blog, 19 December 2024)

Ethics in Sports: Mitigating Risk for Sports Organisations by Paul Horvath (SportsLawyer blog, 17 October 2024)

* * * * *

🎙️ Thinking of making a podcast?

You need Miniature Creative, the producer of Case In Point.

Podcasts aren’t just entertaining for listeners. For your brand they build authority, trust and help you create deeper connections with your audience.

Get in touch 👉 www.miniaturecreative.com.au ✉️ [email protected]

Next Episode

Do corporations have beliefs?

When the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a company called Hobby Lobby in 2014, it was hailed by conservatives as a win for the religious freedom of business owners.

Critics of the decision said it dealt a major blow to the rights of employees to access reproductive healthcare.

But there's more to this case than meets the eye.

Has the Hobby Lobby case rewritten the rules about what a corporation actually is?

Guest: Associate Professor Steve Kourabas, Deputy Director, Centre for Commercial Law and Regulatory Studies, Monash University

Case: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., 573 U.S. 682 (2014)

* * * * *

🎙️ Thinking of making a podcast?

You need Miniature Creative, the producer of Case In Point.

Podcasts aren’t just entertaining for listeners. For your brand they build authority, trust and help you create deeper connections with your audience.

Get in touch 👉 www.miniaturecreative.com.au ✉️ [email protected]

Case In Point - Is it a crime to attempt to murder a corpse?

Transcript

MUSIC

Natalia Antolak-Saper: This person is no longer harming or, or you can't apprehend any harm from that person. They're on the floor, and the ethical thing to do would have been to go and get help and walk away from the situation. Like, you are no longer in danger, and instead you've gone back to effectively kill that person. And that's where we say, you have an intention, you've gotten as close to the act as possible, the only thing stopping you is, he's dead.

MUSIC
James P