LIAC Crime Library

In June 1995, a model and girlfriend of Gordon Wood, Caroline Byrne was found at the bottom of the cliffs at the Gap, Watson’s Bay. It took thirteen years for Gordon Wood to be put on trial for her murder. He had always alleged she had jumped off the cliff, but evidence pieced together finally convinced a jury of his guilt in November 2008. Gordon Wood worked for the stockbroker Rene Rivkin as his chauffeur and personal assistant. One of the motives presented for the murder of Caroline was that she knew too much about Rivkin’s business and personal life. Wood was sentenced to 17 years and four months in jail, with a non-parole period of 13 years.

On 24 February 2012, the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed his murder conviction and he was released from jail in Goulburn almost immediately.

• R v Wood [2008] NSWSC 817, 6 August 2008
• R v Wood [2008] NSWSC 1273, 4 December 2008
• Wood v R [2012] NSWCCA 21, 24 February 2012, appeal in which murder conviction is quashed.

1. Newspaper articles on Proquest ANZ Newsstand, available remotely to registered clients of the State Library of NSW.  type in caroline byrne and gordon wood.
2. The killing of Caroline Byrne: A Journey to Justice by Robert Wainright, Allen & Unwin, 2009
3. Expert evidence after Morgan, Wood and Gilham by Gary Edmond et al, in Precedent, Issue 112, Sept/Oct 2012, page 28. Available on AGIS Plus to registered clients of the State Library of NSW.

Caroline Byrne

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