Jason Roberts found not guilty of police murders

A Supreme Court jury has found Jason Roberts not guilty of the 1998 murders of Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller.

The jury took almost four days to deliver their verdict.

Roberts was convicted of the murders in 2002 but in 2020 the Court of Appeal quashed the verdict and granted a retrial.

Veteran crime writer Andrew Rule said the news had understandably shocked a lot of people.

“This is genuine news,” he said.

“It wasn’t really expected.”

Press PLAY below to hear Andrew Rule’s reaction to the verdict

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton has released the following statement;

Victoria Police acknowledges the decision of the court today.

The murders of Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rod Miller in 1998 had an enormous impact on Victoria Police as an organisation, and were devastating for the families, friends and colleagues of both men.

Our thoughts are with the Silk and Miller families today and we know this will be a difficult time for them.

We will continue to support both families as well as the many police who continue to be impacted by the tragic loss of Gary Silk and Rod Miller.

This matter has been subject to a significant investigation over the years and we recognise the tireless work of those investigators, including Lorimer Taskforce.

(Image: Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller)