Robert Mailman

The Case 

Robert (Bobby) Mailman was a 35-year-old husband and father of two young sons when his life was forever changed. On November 30, 1983, the body of George Leeman was found in Rockwood Park, beaten and partially burned. From the very start, the Saint John Police were determined to pin the crime on Bobby. For the police and Crown, the tactics they used did not matter as long as they got the conviction they wanted.  

Bobby’s co-accused, Walter (Wally) Gillespie, became collateral damage in the police’s pursuit of a conviction. The case involved many of the systemic issues found in wrongful convictions, including tunnel vision, non-disclosure of crucial evidence, prosecutorial misconduct, judicial bias, the destruction of key evidence after trial and unreliable eyewitnesses.   

One of the eyewitnesses, Janet Shatford, entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of manslaughter, receiving 13 years, which was further reduced to 6 on appeal. In return, she testified at the trials against both men and implicated them in the murder. Another eyewitness, 16-year-old John Leoman, was paid for his testimony, a fact that was never disclosed to the defence. Both witnesses later admitted to lying under oath and changed their stories numerous times over the years.  

The first trial on March 27, 1984, ended in a hung jury. At their second trial, and within six months of Mr. Leeman’s murder, Bobby and Wally were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole eligibility for 18 years.  

The Fight for Justice 

 For more than 35 years, Bobby and Wally maintained their innocence and fought to overturn their wrongful convictions. They appealed to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal on February 10, 1988, but the case was dismissed. With limited resources, only one of them could seek leave to the Supreme Court of Canada. In December 1993, Wally applied, but on January 7, 1994, the court refused to hear the case.  

Despite crushing setbacks, they refused to give up. In 1997 lawyers Ed Derrah and Gary Miller filed an Application for Ministerial Review with the Criminal Convictions Review Group (CCRG), based on fresh evidence. On May 8, 2000, CCRG lawyer Allan Ferguson completed an Investigation Brief concluding that the convictions rested solely on the evidence of the two unreliable eyewitnesses. There was no forensic evidence or any other evidence connecting Bobby and Wally to the murder. The defence’s extensive alibi evidence, though presented at trial, had been vigorously attacked by the Crown and rejected by the jury. 

The Investigation Brief was leaked to the media before it could reach the Minister of Justice, stalling the process entirely.  

Mr. Derrah and Mr. Miller were also unsuccessful in obtaining undisclosed evidence from the Saint John Police despite their best efforts and pursuit of it for several years. 

Bobby and Wally were finally released on parole in 2000 after 18 and 21 years of incarceration. Even after their release, the fight continued to clear their names.  

In 2005, they applied to AIDWYC (now Innocence Canada). Innocence Canada hired private investigator Steve Jones to conduct interviews with key witnesses which revealed fresh evidence beneficial to Bobby and Wally. 

On November 28, 2019, Innocence Canada counsel attended the Saint John Police Headquarters and were provided with a previously undisclosed and vitally important report written by Constable Holt. Less than a month later, on December 24, 2019, Innocence Canada submitted a s.696.1 application on Bobby and Wally’s behalf to the CCRG. 

The Exoneration  

Just before Christmas, on December 22, 2023, former Justice Minister Arif Virani delivered the long-awaited news: Bobby and Wally were granted a new trial. 

Just two weeks later, on January 4, 2024, Chief Justice Tracey DeWare of the King’s Bench in Saint John, New Brunswick declared them innocent. Nearly 40 years after they were wrongly convicted, they were acquitted of the murder of George Leeman. 

Surrounded by family, friends, Innocence Canada lawyers, supporters and the media, Bobby and Wally stood together in front of the courthouse on that unforgettable day as their innocence was finally recognized.  

Sadly, shortly before his exoneration, Bobby was diagnosed with liver cancer and was given only 3 months to live. Defying all expectations and beating the odds Bobby continues to live life on his terms. 

Life After Exoneration  

Through his courage, tenacity, relentless pursuit of the truth, and refusal to give up, Bobby achieved many of the goals he had held on to for more than 40 years. He cleared both his and Wally’s names and successfully pushed for an investigation into the conduct of the Saint John Police, which led to his wrongful conviction. The investigation’s results were released on March 7, 2025. 

Bobby sadly passed away on October 9, 2025, just under two years after he was exonerated for a crime he did not commit. Bobby is survived by his partner of 25 years, who stood by him through every disappointment and triumph.