Schapelle

On October 8, 2004, Schapelle Corby was arrested at Bali airport with a massive 4.2kg of marijuana in a boogie board bag. At first her arrest was barely noticed by the Australian media, but once photographs were published it sparked a frenzy and attracted a cast of colourful characters who came to her aid. They include her sister Mercedes (Jacinta Stapleton), mother Ros (Denise Roberts), father Mick (Colin Friels), and her “white knights”: mobile phone mogul “Mad Ron” Bakir (Les Chantery) and Gold Coast lawyer Robin Tampoe (Vince Colosimo). Also prominent in the Corby story are former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer (Francis Greenslade) and Australian Federal Police boss Mick Keelty (Michael Croaker). On May 27, 2005, Corby avoided the death penalty but was sentenced to 20 years in Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison. To this day she proclaims her innocence. From her prison cell in Bali, Schapelle Corby became Australia’s first multi-media celebrity of the internet era. Her case became front page news that captivated a nation and continues to polarise opinion.