PRESSURE is mounting for an appeal over the “pathetic” sentence handed down to the twin brother of Stephanie Scott’s killer, with a petition attracting 50,000 signatures in just days.
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Marcus Stanford, whose brother Vincent will be sentenced for Ms Scott’s murder in October, will walk free from jail next Friday after last week receiving a 15-month prison term for his role in covering up the murder.
The decision ignited fury in the Riverina and across the nation, sparking a change.org petition calling on the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to appeal the verdict.
The petition crashed through the 50,000 supporter barrier on Monday afternoon and will be handed to Murray MP Adrian Piccoli at the end of a “Justice for Steph” march in Leeton on Friday.
It comes amid reports Marcus Stanford had attempted to take his own life in jail and repeatedly self-harmed since he was charged with being a murder accessory.
A detailed 17-page forensic psychology report, obtained by Fairfax Media, has outlined how Stanford abused alcohol, had a chronic cannabis addiction and smoked up to eight joints and several cones each day prior to his arrest.
During an assessment with forensic psychologist Dr Katie Seidler, Stanford spoke openly about how he believed his murderous brother Vincent was "peculiar".
He also claimed Vincent had been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
"Mr Stanford acknowledged that he has felt the need to 'stand up' for his brother and he has been quite protective of him because he is 'peculiar' and was often bullied when they were children," Dr Seidler wrote.
Stanford told Dr Seidler he failed to tell police about receiving Ms Scott's rings and driver's licence in the mail because he "didn't want to feel like he'd backstabbed" his brother.
He said he felt "sick" when he realised the items belonged to Ms Scott and told the psychologist the situation was "emotionally compromising" and he was "not in the right state of mind" after learning about his brother's arrest for murder.
"Mr Stanford acknowledged that he knew what he was doing was illegal but he claimed to have felt 'justified' at the time because he was 'helping out' his brother," Dr Seidler wrote.
He did not consider the impact his actions would have on Ms Scott's family and especially her fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley .
After he is released from prison on September 9, Stanford intends to remain in Australia.
