An enraged, grieving mother showed up at an author’s book signing party in Queensland, Australia, this week to express her anger and disappointment over a new true crime book, which reportedly provides details about her daughter’s murder that she didn’t know about.
Nine News reports that former head of Forensic Psychiatry, Dr. Donald Grant, wrote a book about the gruesome murder of young mother, Bianca Girven, who was killed in 2010 by her boyfriend, Rhys Michael Austin. Grant later became appointed by the Mental Health Court of Queensland to do a mental competency evaluation on Austin. The suspect, who apparently provided intimate details about the murder, was later considered too “psychologically fragile” to go through a trial.
Bianca’s mother, Sonia Anderson, claimed she was never told the personal details surrounding her daughter’s murder, including her last words, until she read it in Grant’s book, “Killer Instinct.” The book reportedly shares never-before-read information surrounding Bianca’s death, told to Grant by Austin.
“For eight years, I’ve spent a lot of time with journalists, with television, with newspaper articles and magazines and you the psychiatrist are the one and only person that has caused me and my family deliberate distress,” an irate Anderson shouted to Grant at his book signing gathering. “(You are) trying to make a name for yourself to make money to line your pockets on my daughter’s murder.”
According to ABC Australia, an “opposition health spokeswoman,” Ros Bates, agreed with Anderson and questioned how Bates would be legally allowed to publicly release information about the murder shared with him by the killer.
“No mother should learn about the last words of their daughter — after she was choked to death — through a book, that she wasn’t even consulted about,” Bates said.
Anderson is now pushing for the book to be pulled from all shelves after Dr. Grant “sensationalized and entertained murder.”
“(You are) trying to make a name for yourself to make money to line your pockets on my daughter’s murder,” she shouted to Dr. Grant at the book signing event.
After the signing, Dr. Grant reportedly refuse to divulge where the funds from the book sales would go. He did, however, state that he thought all families should know the truth about loved ones’ deaths.
“I believe families deserve insight into why their loved ones were killed. Families of victims should have access to expert reports.”
Grant later announced he planned to donate a portion of the funds from the book sales to charities. Regardless, Bates is pushing for the government to look into the matter; she insisted that both Queensland Health and its Health Minister owe the victim’s family apologies.
“(Health Minister) Steven Miles and Queensland Health need to apologize to these families, they need to have an inquiry into how this occurred, they need to stop the proceeds of the book going to profit the author,” Bates said.
Queensland Health is currently looking into the situation after determining it appeared to be a “betrayal” not only to the victim’s family, but also to the patient/doctor privilege.
“On its surface, it looks like a betrayal of patients, victims and their families and the clinician’s duty to do the right thing professionally. We are incredibly distressed and are looking into the matter further.”
[Feature Photo: Bianca Girven/Handout]
