At the turn of last century, an ambitious young solicitor caused a scandal in a high-profile murder case. Years later he was a political leader in a new nation. How did he do it?
In June 1896, a tall, well-dressed man arrived at the supreme court of New South Wales in Sydney. Flanked by his barristers, Richard Meagher was coming to play his part in the final scenes of a criminal and political scandal that had transfixed the Australian colonies for the past year – the Dean case.
The outcome of this hearing was all but predetermined. Meagher was about to be exiled from the profession he had spent years toiling to enter, that had given him fame and wealth – a profession that he had brought into disgrace.