Australian Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Manslaughter of Gay American Man in 1988

On Thursday, an Australian man was sentenced to nine years in prison for the manslaughter of a gay American man in Sydney in 1988. Scott Phillip White, 52, had pleaded guilty in the New South Wales state Supreme Court to Los Angeles-born Scott Johnson’s death.

White had initially been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of Johnson, who was 27 at the time of his death. However, he was pressured into a plea deal after police intercepted a prison phone call between White and a niece in October last year in which he confessed to striking his victim at the cliff top.

The sentencing marks the end of a 35-year battle for justice by Johnson’s family. Johnson’s death had been initially ruled a suicide, but his family had long suspected foul play and had campaigned for a re-investigation.

White’s sentencing comes after a lengthy investigation by the New South Wales police, who had reopened the case in 2017. The police had conducted a number of interviews and had also used new technology to re-examine evidence from the original investigation.

The sentencing of White brings some closure to Johnson’s family, who have been campaigning for justice for more than three decades. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of continuing to pursue justice for victims of crime, no matter how long it takes.