Robin launches a controversial book

On 11 October Robin launched another book, Rough Justice: Unanswered questions from the Australian courts, at a function at The Old Melbourne Gaol.
About 160 people attended the launch of Rough Justice at the Old Melbourne Gaol , including members of the legal profession, Denis Tanner, former ombudsman Norman Geschke and several police officers, who are some of the protagonists in her new book. The book has been soundly endorsed by leading Melbourne QC, Julian Burnside, who says 'This is a challenging look at the criminal justice system. At a time when governments have responded to the fear of terrorism with extreme measures, it is a useful reminder that the system is fallible.' The book has already created widespread controversy about Bowles's claim that several NT police officers were not convinced that Bradley John Murdoch was 'the shooter' in the Falconio case.

In addition, Bowles details a three-and-a-half year investigation by a selected task force called Trencher which has been investigating the death of transsexual prostitute Adele Bailey and the alleged corruption and attempts to pervert the course of justice by  several previous investigators on that case. A brief detailing these charges is currently being reviewed by Luke Cornelius, head of ESD. Sergeant Bill Nash says in Bowles's book that charges are expected to be brought against two serving Inspectors and gives reasons why. His report to the Commissioner , taken from FOI documents obtained earlier this year, is quoted in Bowles's book.

As well as this inside story, in another case history detailed in her book, Bowles states that Mr Rob Hulls, in his portfolio as Treasurer, made an ex--gratia paymentof $25000 to a father who was agitating for an inquest into his daughter's death to be re-opened. The payment was made to recompense in part the father of Birgit Munro and conditional on the possibilty that Munro would continue his campaign to have the inquest re-opened. Munro's daughter was the  former de facto of Dr Neil Boyce, whose first wife Josephine, died ten years before Birgit Munro.  Then Ombudsman Norman Geschke was so disturbed by this second death in 10 years he asked then State Coroner Hal Hallenstein to investigate. A Homicide investigation was mounted, but was ceased after the coroner attributed cause of death to acute toxic enterocolitis, which two leading pathologists, including Dr David Ranson, of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, disputed.

In 1997 Mr Munro had won an application in the Supreme court to have the inquest into