The family of murdered mathematician Scott Johnson have described the sentence given to his killer as fair, after a Sydney judge sentenced Scott Alan White to 12 years imprisonment over the 1988 killing.
Johnson’s naked body was found at the base of cliff in Manly in 1988. His death was initially ruled a suicide despite the area being known as a gay beat where assaults against gay men regularly occurred.
His family fought for decades to have his death re-examined and after two additional coronial inquests it was reclassified, leading to the arrest of Scott Alan White for the murder. Earlier this year White surprised the court when he changed his plea and confessed to the murder.
On Tuesday Justice Helen Wilson spent over an hour outlining how she determined a sentence of 12 years with a non-parole period of eight years and three months was appropriate for the now 51-year-old man.
The judge outlined that the sentence had to be comparable to sentences delivered for similar crimes at the time of the offence, and that the court had not been presented sufficient evidence to establish that the killing was a gay hate crime, even if it was “very likely” to have been motivated by the victim’s sexuality.
Speaking outside the court, Johnson’s brother Steve spoke to the media and said he appreciated that White had looked his family members in the eye as they read out their victim impact statements in court earlier this week.
“We came to Australia this week and we were given a chance to express in court what we lost and the impact that Scott White had on our families… the impact that he had on my brother… and the beautiful man he destroyed,” Johnson said.
“What we got this week was fairness.
“We didn’t get compensation for Scott this week but what Scott got was dignity.” Steve Johnson said according to The Guardian.
Johnson’s family said that while ultimately the court has found that their brother’s death did not meet the legal threshold to be classed as a gay hate crime, their decades long pursuit for justice had shone a light on the many crimes against gay men that occurred in Sydney over a long period.
The judge said it has been established that White had punched Johnson at North Head in Manly, causing him to fall to his death on the rocks 60 metres below, most likely on the evening of 8th December 1988.
The judge said White was responsible for a violent act which was the direct cause of Johnson leaving the clifftop in terror. She described White as having an reckless indifference to human life, noting that he had punched Johnson on the unguarded clifftop and never informed police of the incident.
Justice Wilson said there were several mitigating factors in the case which stopped her from applying a life sentence for the crime, including White’s guilty plea, his challenging childhood, and his long term mental health issues and alcohol abuse.
The court heard that 33 years ago White was a deeply troubled, angry young man, who struggled with his own sexuality. The judge said his cognitive impairment reduced his culpability.
White had a disadvantaged upbringing which included homophobic parents who used to drink excessively and force their sons to fight for their amusement. White told a forensic psychologist by the time he was 15 he was drinking alcohol and living on the streets. He kept his own homosexuality a secret due to his family’s views.
In a 2019 interview with police he said he used to get into fights around Manly when he was a street kid, but denied targeting people due to their sexuality. At the time of his interview White was still concerned about his brother discovering his homosexuality.
However later two unnamed witnesses came forward to say in 2020 White had described times when he would go “poofter bashing” in his youth. His former wife also told the court that he had used the phrase over several decades of their relationship.
In court this week Johnson’s sister Becca said in her victim’s impact statement the community had clearly failed White in his youth.
White’s legal team had already lodged an appeal prior to the sentence being handed down, after they previously failed to have his surprise confession overturned. He will be eligible for parole August 11, 2030.
OIP Staff
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