A respected CSIRO oceanographer. A woman who had sought help. And a murder that became part of Tasmania’s history of family violence reform.
Episode OverviewIn this episode, we return to Hobart in 1983 and examine the murder of Maureen Thompson, a 37-year-old mother of two who had separated from her husband, Rory Jack Thompson. Thompson was an accomplished oceanographer employed by the CSIRO and had moved to Hobart for a senior professional appointment. Behind that successful public image, however, the marriage had broken down and Maureen had sought assistance because she said she feared violence from her husband.
On 10 September 1983, while the couple’s children were with their father during a contact visit, Maureen was killed at her Hill Street home in West Hobart. Thompson later admitted killing her. The investigation that followed became one of Tasmania’s most disturbing and unusual homicide cases.
But this episode is about more than the confronting circumstances of the crime. We also examine Thompson’s 1984 trial, his verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, his indefinite detention at Risdon Prison, and the way Maureen’s death became part of a much broader public discussion about domestic and family violence in Tasmania.
Inside This Episode
The Verdict and What It MeantRory Jack Thompson’s trial was unusual because the central issue was not whether Maureen had been killed or whether Thompson had killed her. Thompson admitted causing her death. Instead, the jury was required to consider his mental state at the time and whether he was criminally responsible under the legal test for insanity.
On 29 February 1984, Thompson was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. The wording can sound confusing in everyday language, so the episode takes some time to explain what the verdict actually meant and what happened next.
The Insanity VerdictNot a Finding That Nothing Happened: The verdict did not mean that Maureen had not been killed or that Thompson had not killed her.
A Question of Legal Responsibility: The jury considered psychiatric evidence and the legal test governing criminal responsibility at the time of the killing.
No Ordinary Prison Sentence: Because of the verdict, Thompson did not receive a conventional fixed-term murder sentence.
What Happened NextIndefinite Detention: The court ordered Thompson detained in a special institution associated with Risdon Prison under the legal and mental-health framework of the time.
Repeated Reviews: His detention was reviewed over the years, and release was recommended on more than one occasion, but those recommendations were not accepted by the governments of the day.
Detained Until His Death: Thompson remained detained until his death in 1999, approximately fifteen years after the verdict.
Family Violence and Maureen’s LegacyOne of the most important elements of this case is what happened before Maureen was killed. Maureen and Thompson were separated, and accounts discussed in the episode record that she had sought assistance from a Catholic crisis centre and through the courts because she said she feared violence from him.
Her murder occurred during a period when Tasmania was beginning to examine more closely how the law, police and community services responded to violence within families. Women’s services and advocates had already been working on the issue for years, but Maureen’s death became an especially prominent case.
Later Tasmanian research identifies her murder, together with the 1984 Hopcroft Report and the work of advocates and community organisations, as part of the historical context surrounding changes to Tasmania’s response to domestic violence.
Thompson’s Final YearsThompson remained detained at Risdon Prison for the remainder of his life. In 1994, he changed his name by deed poll and became known as Jack Newman.
In July 1999, he walked away from the prison surrounds while working in gardens outside the perimeter. He travelled to Hobart Airport and purchased a ticket to leave Tasmania, but was apprehended while boarding a flight and returned to Risdon Prison.
On 18 September 1999, Thompson died by suicide in his cell at the age of 57. His death was subsequently examined through a deaths-in-custody inquest. The coroner identified failures relating to the physical environment and the system of care intended to recognise and reduce the risk of self-harm.
Those findings concerned the state’s duty of care towards a person in custody. They did not alter the circumstances of Maureen Thompson’s death or the finding that Thompson had killed her.
Listen NowYou can stream Episode 4 – Rory Jack Thompson and the Murder of Maureen Thompson directly on the True Crime Tasmania website or listen through your favourite podcast platform.
True Crime Tasmania explores murders, disappearances, mysteries and serious crimes from Tasmania’s past and present. Our episodes take a conversational approach while aiming to distinguish documented facts from allegation, speculation and folklore. We draw on publicly available material including historical reporting, court records and official sources while recognising that the cases we discuss involve real people, victims and families.