Australian man jailed for 12 years over 1988 cliff murder of gay American
- Scott White was also awarded a non-parole period of 99 months for the murder of mathematician Scott Johnson three decades ago
- Johnson’s death at the base of a Sydney cliff in December 1988 was initially dismissed by police as suicide
The death of mathematician Scott Johnson was initially called a suicide, but his family pressed for further investigation. A coroner in 2017 found a number of assaults, some fatal, where the victims had been targeted because they were thought to be gay.
Scott White, 51, pleaded guilty in January and could have been sentenced to up to life in prison.
Justice Helen Wilson said she did not find beyond reasonable doubt that the murder was a gay hate crime, an aggravating factor that would have led to a longer sentence. She also said she applied more lenient sentencing patterns in place in New South Wales state in the late 1980s.
He must serve at least eight years and three months in prison before he can be considered for parole.
White was 18 and homeless when he met 27-year-old Los Angeles-born Johnson at a bar in suburban Manly in December 1988 and went with him to a nearby cliff top at North Head.