Julene Thorburn pleads guilty to one count each of perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The foster mother of Queensland schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer has been ordered to spend six months behind bars for her “dreadful” crimes relating to the 12-year-old’s death.

Julene Thorburn faced Beenleigh district court on Friday, where she pleaded guilty to one count each of perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Judge Craig Chowdhury sentenced the 55-year-old to a head term of 18 months, to be suspended after she has spent six months behind bars. He described her crimes as “dreadful offences” and said she should have set a better example to her sons.

“It is extraordinary that your motivation was largely to protect the family, but also to maintain a lifestyle, which is really quite discreditable,” the judge said.

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Earlier, crown prosecutor David Nardone said Thorburn gave false information to authorities because she wanted to protect “her family and lifestyle”.

She lied to police in November 2015 after Tiahleigh’s body was found and also misled a Crime and Corruption Commission hearing in June 2016.

The court heard Tiahleigh’s biological mother, Cindy Palmer, was “tormented” by Thorburn’s deception and the time it took for her to reveal her statements had been misleading.

“From Mrs Palmer’s point of view, Mrs Thorburn has failed terribly,” Nardone said.

As he heard submissions, Chowdhury said he could grasp why someone would want to protect their family. However, he said one would think “pangs of conscience” would occur once the schoolgirl’s body had been discovered dumped on the banks of a Gold Coast river “like the carcass of an animal”.

Nardone said Thorburn’s motives appeared to “outweigh that sense of decency”.



The judge said it seemed Thorburn was worried about losing the family’s “main breadwinner”, her husband Rick, who has been committed to stand trial charged with Tiahleigh’s murder.

An electronic surveillance device planted in the family home picked up Thorburn telling the family they would have to “stick to the same story” after questions were raised following the 12-year-old’s disappearance.

But Thorburn’s defence barrister, John Fraser, said she was “essentially” a good person and loving mother. He said she had fielded abusive phone calls and received “vile threats” over social media.

The couple’s son Trent was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in September after pleading guilty to four charges, including perjury and incest. Their eldest son, Joshua, was jailed for three months in July after pleading guilty to the same charges as his mother.

Tiahleigh was last seen alive on 30 October 2015. Her decomposing body was found on the banks of the Pimpama river on 5 November.

Thorburn’s suspended sentence will be in force for three years.

