The individual suspected of abducting a young British girl on an Australian beach over five decades ago has been publicly identified for the first time. A member of the New South Wales Legislative Council utilized parliamentary privilege to reveal the identity of the man previously known only as ‘Mercury,’ who is believed to have abducted and killed three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer in 1970. Although the man confessed to the crime as a teenager, the confession was not used in legal proceedings.
During a session in the Australian parliament, Jeremy Buckingham disclosed ‘Mercury’s’ real name, which is still legally protected due to his minor status at the time of the incident, and called for a fresh investigation into Cheryl’s murder. He emphasized the prolonged suffering endured by Cheryl Grimmer’s family and the lack of justice for her abduction and murder, with ‘Mercury’ currently living freely under protected identity.
Cheryl’s family, including her parents Carole and Vince who moved to Australia from Bristol with their four children, had been advocating for a renewed inquiry since the previous trial collapsed six years ago. Recently, the family confronted ‘Mercury,’ giving him an ultimatum to either explain certain details from his confession or face public exposure.
Linda Grimmer, the wife of Cheryl’s brother Paul, clarified that the family’s intention was not to harm ‘Mercury’ or his family but to uncover the truth. They urged anyone with relevant information to come forward, aiming for ‘Mercury’ to face legal questioning and for Cheryl to receive long-overdue justice.
‘Mercury’ was apprehended from Victoria and extradited to New South Wales in 2017 after detectives uncovered the teenage confession made to the police a year after Cheryl’s disappearance. However, the confession was deemed inadmissible by Justice Robert Allan Hulme due to the lack of appropriate supervision during the interview.
Media outlets, including the Mirror, have refrained from revealing the man’s name. Cheryl vanished from Fairy Meadow Beach in Wollongong in 1970, initiating one of Australia’s enduring missing children cases. The Mirror previously covered the ongoing investigations at the beach and commemorated Cheryl’s disappearance with the unveiling of a memorial plaque.