Overview

• The Queensland Court of Appeal set aside Steven Dean Michael Walker‑Ely’s murder conviction and ordered a retrial.
• Justice Thomas Bradley ruled the cross‑examination about Walker‑Ely’s overall honesty was inadmissible because he had not put his character in issue.
• The challenged exchange asked, “Do you regard yourself as a perfectly honest man, 10 out of 10?” and Walker‑Ely replied, “Yes, I do.”
• A 2024 Supreme Court jury had convicted him after a four‑day trial and he was sentenced to life in prison, which is now vacated pending a new trial.
• Walker‑Ely, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, testified he stabbed 25‑year‑old Birdsall Fa’apepele at a Paget caravan park after provocation, a claim prosecutors sought to undermine.