Earlier this week, human remains were unearthed under a cabbage tree palm in Royal National Park, in a spot that appeared to be consistent with the case of murdered Sydney man Matthew Leveson.
Though police are still awaiting the results of forensic tests, crime scene investigators have concluded their work in the park, and Leveson’s grieving parents have been allowed to take a tree home from the site in their son’s memory.
Overnight, Matthew’s father Mark Leveson took to Twitter to thank those involved in the search, as he and his wife Faye raised a glass to everyone who has helped in the long process of bringing Matthew’s body home.
#MatthewLeveson Crime scene complete. Coming home with “Matt’s” palm & raising a glass to ALL those involved in bringing Matt home. xx pic.twitter.com/Mz8k3djLrg
— Mark Leveson (@MarkLeveson) June 3, 2017
An image attached to the Tweet showed a tree that would appear to be “Matt’s palm” loaded onto the back of a ute, with the couple standing in front of it.
Matthew Leveson, aged 20, was last seen leaving ARQ nightclub in Darlinghurst in 2007 with his then-boyfriend Michael Atkins, who was tried and acquitted of his murder and manslaughter 2009.
Atkins, who now lives in Queensland, admitted that he lied on the stand during Leveson’s inquest, but led police to the burial site in exchange for a deal that granted him immunity from prosecution for perjury.
Though it appears that Leveson’s body has been recovered, double jeopardy laws mean that Atkins is unlikely to be prosecuted for murder a second time, unless “fresh and compelling evidence” is uncovered linking him to the alleged crime.
Photo: Supplied.
