Cheryl Grimmer's family is upset after the New South Wales director of public prosecutions upheld the decision to drop a case related to her disappearance in 1970. The family provided more than 50 detailed submissions but believes the review did not adequately address them, focusing instead on whether a legal ruling excluding admissions by a key suspect could be challenged. Ricki Nash, Cheryl’s brother, expressed deep disappointment and anger over the outcome, while director Sally Dowling offered to meet with the family to discuss further steps.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
Cheryl Grimmer's family is devastated after the DPP upheld the decision to abandon the case over her 1970 disappearance.
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DPP → devastate → disappearance
The family says the review failed to adequately address more than 50 detailed submissions
What's next?
The family are considering an offer to meet with the DPP and urging police to follow alleged new evidence.
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family → say → evidence
Cheryl Grimmer's family says it is devastated after the NSW director of public prosecutions upheld the decision to abandon the case over the three-year-old's disappearance.
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director → say → disappearance
Cheryl disappeared from Fairy Meadow Beach near Wollongong on January 12, 1970.
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Cheryl → disappear → January
Her body has never been recovered.
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body → recover → ?
Her brother, Ricki Nash, has strongly criticised the outcome of a formal request under the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) Victims' Right Of Review Policy.
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brother → criticise → Policy
"I am utterly disgusted, devastated and deeply angry at what our family has received,"he said.
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family → devastate → what
The review examined the decision to discontinue proceedings against a man known by the pseudonym "Mercury", who had been charged over Cheryl's disappearance.
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who → examine → disappearance
The prosecution collapsed in 2019 after the NSW Supreme Court excluded admissions Mercury made to police when he was 17.
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he → collapse → police
Justice Robert Hulme found the interview did not meet legal requirements applying to admissions made by children, including safeguards concerning the presence of an adult.
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interview → find → adult
DPP finds ruling cannot be challenged
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ruling → find → ?
In a two-page letter emailed to the family on September 16, director of public prosecutions Sally Dowling SC acknowledged the impact of the original decision and their patience while the review was conducted.
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review → email → decision
Ms Dowling said she had reviewed the case "afresh to determine if the decision not to proceed further was correct".
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decision → say → case
"As you appreciate, this question turns on whether the exclusion of the recorded interview with Mercury by the trial judge is reasonably open to challenge.
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exclusion → appreciate → challenge
"After careful consideration I have concluded that it is not, and that therefore the original decision to take no further proceedings following that ruling was correct."
She told the family her review led her to conclude 'there are not reasonable prospects of succeeding in a challenge to the trial judge's determination" on Mercury's admissions.
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review → conclude → admissions
She said she appreciated the determination would be very disappointing for the family and offered to meet with them to discuss the decision.
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determination → say → decision
Mr Nash said the family had provided 50 detailed submissions, setting out extensive evidence and legal arguments.
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family → say → evidence
"We have received an extraordinarily brief determination.
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We → receive → determination
To describe the findings as disappointing is an understatement."
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describe → describe → findings
Mr Nash said the repose provided little detail explaining how those matters were actually dealt with.
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matters → say → detail
The family believed the review focused on whether the original ruling could be challenged, rather than fully reconsidering and responding to the issues it raised.
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it → believe → issues
"That distinction matters enormously to us.
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distinction → matter → us
There is also something else that cannot be ignored."
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that → be → ?
Serious admissions excluded from case
He said Mercury's admissions contained details about Cheryl and her disappearance that raised questions about how he could have known them.
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he → exclude → them
The fact that such extraordinary admissions were made is precisely why our family believes the circumstances surrounding them deserved the most rigorous examination possible."
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circumstances → make → examination
He said the family did not expect the DPP to automatically agree with them, but did expect an application under the Victims' Right of Review Policy to provide "meaningful scrutiny".
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application → say → scrutiny
"Our family is devastated and angry, but we are not going to stop asking questions.
"
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we → devastate → questions
We owe that to Cheryl.
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We → owe → Cheryl
Cheryl deserves better."
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Cheryl → deserve → ?
The review is separate from the family's request for NSW Police to assess what it describes as significant new evidence that emerged after the prosecution ended.
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prosecution → assess → evidence
That material includes accounts from potential witnesses who came forward following renewed publicity generated by BBC reporter Jon Kay's podcast, Fairy Meadow.
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who → include → podcast
The ABC has contacted the ODPP for comment.
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ABC → contact → comment
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