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The Fall
How Simon Gittany murdered Lisa Harnum.
A terrified woman runs for the door, her final effort to escape a cruel and controlling fiancé. She is too late. A secret camera captures him covering her mouth to suppress her screams as he drags her back inside. 69 seconds later Lisa Harnum is dead. But Simon Gittany insists he has done nothing wrong - he claims his beautiful partner died for a secret she feared would be exposed.
The grainy final image of Lisa alive would later horrify a nation, a chilling reminder that the greatest harm can come to us from the hands of those we love. It was also the first hint police had that all was not what it seemed with the outwardly charismatic Gittany.
What was Lisa's secret? Did the bubbly Canadian hide a past she would die to protect? How far did Gittany, a man with a criminal past, go to watch her every move and conversation? Police sensed a ruse the man who installed cameras in every room in his luxury apartment was trying to lead them off track with tales of his troubled lover's final days. Their suspicions are further confirmed when it emerges his well-kept recording devices had been switched off only hours before Lisa died.
With only two witnesses to that final minute, one who can no longer speak, detectives question if they could ever prove a charge of murder. A week later, a grieving, distraught mother in Toronto answers the phone. A man who looked up 15 storeys into the city skyline has come forward. And what he's seen changes everything.
The Fall goes behind the headlines of the country's most captivating court case to bring the story of how Lisa fell in love and grew to fear her fiance. It reveals that while Lisa couldn't escape the danger of Simon Gittany she left behind clues to help catch a killer from beyond the grave.
A terrified woman runs for the door, her final effort to escape a cruel and controlling fiancé. She is too late. A secret camera captures him covering her mouth to suppress her screams as he drags her back inside. 69 seconds later Lisa Harnum is dead. But Simon Gittany insists he has done nothing wrong - he claims his beautiful partner died for a secret she feared would be exposed.
The grainy final image of Lisa alive would later horrify a nation, a chilling reminder that the greatest harm can come to us from the hands of those we love. It was also the first hint police had that all was not what it seemed with the outwardly charismatic Gittany.
What was Lisa's secret? Did the bubbly Canadian hide a past she would die to protect? How far did Gittany, a man with a criminal past, go to watch her every move and conversation? Police sensed a ruse the man who installed cameras in every room in his luxury apartment was trying to lead them off track with tales of his troubled lover's final days. Their suspicions are further confirmed when it emerges his well-kept recording devices had been switched off only hours before Lisa died.
With only two witnesses to that final minute, one who can no longer speak, detectives question if they could ever prove a charge of murder. A week later, a grieving, distraught mother in Toronto answers the phone. A man who looked up 15 storeys into the city skyline has come forward. And what he's seen changes everything.
The Fall goes behind the headlines of the country's most captivating court case to bring the story of how Lisa fell in love and grew to fear her fiance. It reveals that while Lisa couldn't escape the danger of Simon Gittany she left behind clues to help catch a killer from beyond the grave.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2014
18 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Amy Dale
18 books7 followersAmy Dale was born in Sydney and is the Chief Court Reporter for the city's highest selling daily paper, The Daily Telegraph. She reported the Simon Gittany case from his arrest in August 2011. After reporting on every day of the trial and its dramatic verdict, she travelled to Canada to speak with Lisa Harnum's family and friends.
She joined the paper as a journalist in 2006 and in that time has reported on sport, police and business. She became the senior court reporter in 2011 and covers the state's most high profile trials and anti-corruption inquires.
Amy Dale lives in: Sydney, Australia
She joined the paper as a journalist in 2006 and in that time has reported on sport, police and business. She became the senior court reporter in 2011 and covers the state's most high profile trials and anti-corruption inquires.
Amy Dale lives in: Sydney, Australia
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 26, 2015
Lisa Harnum fell to her death from a 15th floor balcony on 30th July 2011. In this carefully laid out account, Amy Dale clearly relates the events that led up to that fateful day. This is a story of a toxic relationship where extreme psychological abuse turned a vibrant, friendly young woman into a friendless recluse whose every move was watched and controlled by her boyfriend, Simon Gittany. Most Australians will remember seeing on the news the shocking images captured by the camera at the door of their apartment, of Lisa running into the hallway struggling to escape and reach the lift and Simon grabbing her round the neck and dragging her back into the apartment. Sixty nine seconds later she was dead.
Court reporter Amy Dale was present throughout Simon Gittany's trial and has written an excellent account not only of the trial itself but also of Lisa's life with Simon and the build up of events that led to her tragic fall and Simon's trial for murder. It's hard to imagine a more controlling man and a victim so unable to shake of the shackles of his hold on her and escape back to her loving family in Canada.
Unfortunately, although society is now more aware of domestic violence and abuse and not willing to tolerate it, deaths continue to occur with around a third of all homicides in Australia attributed to domestic violence. At Simon Gittany's sentence hearing, a moving victim impact statement from Lisa's mother Joan Harnum was read out. In it she makes a plea for men who seek to control and confine women and children to stop their abuse and for others to reach out and help those in an abusive relationship and "stop the profound loss associated with the death of another innocent victim due to domestic violence". In conclusion, she appeals "Let my daughter's cries be heard."
January 14, 2015
Lisa Harnum had loved to dance as a child – living in Toronto in the United States with her brother Jason and mother Joan she had a happy childhood. She was a determined child, who grew into a determined teen; her love of dance would see her stay at the dance school long after her friends had drifted away with more to interest them. But illness would attack; her confidence would shatter – years later, leaving for Australia felt like the right thing to do. Lisa felt she needed to achieve something; becoming an Australian citizen was her goal.
Simon Gittany was her third boyfriend since moving to Australia; he was kind, loving, passionate and protective. Lisa felt very loved and within a short period of time had moved in with Simon. But soon the relationship took on a dangerous edge. He knew everything she did, he told her what to do, who to see, who to talk to, what to wear. He was cruel, controlling – Lisa didn’t know what to do.
The 30th July 2011 would be the catalyst for Lisa; as she tried to escape her fiancé – the man she had given her heart to, the secret camera that the police would discover captured the image of her struggling against him. Screaming for help – sixty nine seconds was all it took and she was dead. But Gittany insisted he tried to save her…
Anyone who lives in Australia would know about this case and never fail to be moved by it. The terror Lisa would have felt; the anguish and despair her mother Joan went through. The Fall tells how Simon Gittany murdered Lisa Harnum; it tells of the events leading up to that terrible day and the thorough investigation by police afterwards. It tells of witnesses who saw the events unfold; of friends who would come forward. It draws attention once again to the dreadful scourge of domestic violence in our society. The Fall has been written with compassion and care by Aussie author Amy Dale; I have no hesitation in recommending it highly.
Simon Gittany was her third boyfriend since moving to Australia; he was kind, loving, passionate and protective. Lisa felt very loved and within a short period of time had moved in with Simon. But soon the relationship took on a dangerous edge. He knew everything she did, he told her what to do, who to see, who to talk to, what to wear. He was cruel, controlling – Lisa didn’t know what to do.
The 30th July 2011 would be the catalyst for Lisa; as she tried to escape her fiancé – the man she had given her heart to, the secret camera that the police would discover captured the image of her struggling against him. Screaming for help – sixty nine seconds was all it took and she was dead. But Gittany insisted he tried to save her…
Anyone who lives in Australia would know about this case and never fail to be moved by it. The terror Lisa would have felt; the anguish and despair her mother Joan went through. The Fall tells how Simon Gittany murdered Lisa Harnum; it tells of the events leading up to that terrible day and the thorough investigation by police afterwards. It tells of witnesses who saw the events unfold; of friends who would come forward. It draws attention once again to the dreadful scourge of domestic violence in our society. The Fall has been written with compassion and care by Aussie author Amy Dale; I have no hesitation in recommending it highly.
September 6, 2014
One of the more sensationalised crimes reported in recent times, the murder of Lisa Harnum by Simon Gittany captivated arm chair juries and social media addicts throughout court proceedings. Having all the hallmarks of prime time crime; an attractive couple, never-before-seen video evidence after the fact, and the brutal and public display of the heinous crime, the trial which saw Simon Gittany sentenced to 18 + 8yrs was far from a media circus but it did provide an insight into a dark, dark place, both from the perspective of the convicted and the victim (Lisa and her family).
Author Amy Dale, Chief Court Reporter for The Daily Telegraph provides a factual and well informed account of events which led to the premature end of Lisa Harnum's life. Using multiple sources from Gittany's camp, interviews with Lisa's family, and an almost forensic analysis of Lisa's text messages and photo's of Simon, Amy Dale transcribes a straight forward narrative that follows not only the linear path of the investigation into Lisa's murder, but also provides a glimpse at her life before she met Simon.
THE FALL goes beyond the court room, taking the reader cross continent to Lisa's homeland in Canada, introducing her family and friends to paint a broader picture - Lisa, the vibrant and confident young women, transformed by her relationship with Simon is barely recognisable by the end of the book.
Despite being familiar with the case (via media reporting), it was good to read a more in depth and factual account of the investigation and to gather some context and understanding (all be it from a distance) to the complex nature of Simon and Lisa's relationship and the subsequent events which led to this unfortunate outcome.
A highly recommended read for true crime readers.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Author Amy Dale, Chief Court Reporter for The Daily Telegraph provides a factual and well informed account of events which led to the premature end of Lisa Harnum's life. Using multiple sources from Gittany's camp, interviews with Lisa's family, and an almost forensic analysis of Lisa's text messages and photo's of Simon, Amy Dale transcribes a straight forward narrative that follows not only the linear path of the investigation into Lisa's murder, but also provides a glimpse at her life before she met Simon.
THE FALL goes beyond the court room, taking the reader cross continent to Lisa's homeland in Canada, introducing her family and friends to paint a broader picture - Lisa, the vibrant and confident young women, transformed by her relationship with Simon is barely recognisable by the end of the book.
Despite being familiar with the case (via media reporting), it was good to read a more in depth and factual account of the investigation and to gather some context and understanding (all be it from a distance) to the complex nature of Simon and Lisa's relationship and the subsequent events which led to this unfortunate outcome.
A highly recommended read for true crime readers.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
December 16, 2014
I was familiar with this case due to it being all over the media during the trial. The book was well written and thoughtful even if a little bit repetitive in some parts. I read a lot of true crime books but this one triggered me like no other has ever done. Having been in an abusive relationship before I could relate all too well to the tactics Gittany used against his girlfriend and then fiancee, Lisa Harnum. The author really captured how Gittany controlled every aspect of Lisa’s life. He knew everything and anyone who read anything about the case knows how he knew everything. And then he turned up at court with his new girlfriend, who was a dead ringer for Lisa. Unbelievable. Something highlighted in the book is that out of all 44 character references supplied to the judge regarding Gittany’s apparent good character not one of those letters indicated any acceptance that he had committed the crime and some even had the gall to tell the judge that her verdict was wrong! No wonder Simon Gittany thought he was some sort of god - the people around him enabled him to think that. Lisa Harnum had her issues but she did not deserve to be thrown from a 15th floor balcony to her death. All in all, an enthralling but horrifying read.
September 26, 2014
A fascinatingly, tragic story and a well told, sympathetic version of it. Unfortunately the grammar and editing were disastrous at times and I found myself having to read numerous sentences multiple times to attempt to decipher their meaning. Editors and proofreaders alike have failed grossly here I'm afraid and it detracted from the story hugely.
February 21, 2015
A very sad and tragic story retold well. I believe Amy Dale provided a thoughtful and factual account. She didn't hide that the victim suffered her own demons, but did bring to light the damaging effects of a controlling and domestic partner. May Lisa's mum find some peace in knowing she helped put away a murderer who could have done the same thing to another woman.
February 8, 2015
This book was quite interesting. It took you through the background detail of the case and into the courtroom through the trial. It is blatantly obvious this man was controlling, arrogant and completely full of himself and Lisa never stood a chance against him. I felt very much for Lisá's mother, how hard must it be to sit there day after day listening to such distressing evidence.
December 12, 2016
Interesting too, but also disturbing if you have ever been in an abusive relationship (and who wants to be reminded of THAT?) . Despite this, I think it would be useful reading for adolescent women to help them identify controlling men when they appear.
April 28, 2019
Enjoyed the initial premise of the book as I had always been fascinated by this case, but I felt the details were lacking and the author didnt quite grasp the technical legal details of the case.
September 1, 2018
This story made me angry, on so many levels.
But the book itself was ok. I thought my kindle might be playing up when it said I was at 38% and we were up to the point of the trial. It wasn’t. The trial portion went on, and on, as though the author intended for me to read about it for the 18 days it lasted in reality. It became repetitive (snippets had repeated throughout, but with good cause), and at the end I begun to think the author didn’t know when to stop. I fully appreciate the need to draw attention to the scale of the problem of physical, emotional and psychological partner abuse. It is appallingly common and can happen to anyone - it is not a sign of weakness or a character defect to find yourself on the receiving end of any form of abuse. When someone is controlling, manipulative, violent or fails to respect your personal boundaries (physical or mental) it is always their fault! ... as I said, the book made me angry!
Obviously, primarily because the focus was the suppression and taking of a beautiful life.
But also among my reasons was that the dragged out court portion gave the new ‘girlfriend’ so much print space. It does not take a genius (& this lady clearly was not one) to understand that a man out on bail, a man facing a charge of murdering his girlfriend when she tried to leave what was plainly an abusive relationship, is not going to behave the same way with the new woman in his life. Her behaviour during and after the trial was nothing short of heartless and disrespectful. Sadly, during all of her attention seeking behaviour, she seemingly remained ignorant of the fact that she was being used in her defence of this man. She did not warrant so much of a part in this book; I certainly didn’t need to know anything about her LA radio interview From however low ago.
The section at the very end where the father of another victim of ex-partner homicide encourages Australian men to sign an oath to not be abusive is deeply disturbing to me. He references the low number of signees and mentions culture... domestic abuse is not about gender or culture. It’s not restricted to any gender, culture, race, religion or type of partnership.... everyone should sign up to this pledge!!
But the book itself was ok. I thought my kindle might be playing up when it said I was at 38% and we were up to the point of the trial. It wasn’t. The trial portion went on, and on, as though the author intended for me to read about it for the 18 days it lasted in reality. It became repetitive (snippets had repeated throughout, but with good cause), and at the end I begun to think the author didn’t know when to stop. I fully appreciate the need to draw attention to the scale of the problem of physical, emotional and psychological partner abuse. It is appallingly common and can happen to anyone - it is not a sign of weakness or a character defect to find yourself on the receiving end of any form of abuse. When someone is controlling, manipulative, violent or fails to respect your personal boundaries (physical or mental) it is always their fault! ... as I said, the book made me angry!
Obviously, primarily because the focus was the suppression and taking of a beautiful life.
But also among my reasons was that the dragged out court portion gave the new ‘girlfriend’ so much print space. It does not take a genius (& this lady clearly was not one) to understand that a man out on bail, a man facing a charge of murdering his girlfriend when she tried to leave what was plainly an abusive relationship, is not going to behave the same way with the new woman in his life. Her behaviour during and after the trial was nothing short of heartless and disrespectful. Sadly, during all of her attention seeking behaviour, she seemingly remained ignorant of the fact that she was being used in her defence of this man. She did not warrant so much of a part in this book; I certainly didn’t need to know anything about her LA radio interview From however low ago.
The section at the very end where the father of another victim of ex-partner homicide encourages Australian men to sign an oath to not be abusive is deeply disturbing to me. He references the low number of signees and mentions culture... domestic abuse is not about gender or culture. It’s not restricted to any gender, culture, race, religion or type of partnership.... everyone should sign up to this pledge!!
June 19, 2017
For a fascinating case I found this quiet a tedious read and found myself skipping not just pages but chapters
July 6, 2020
A very traumatic story about a woman trapped by her dominant. I didn't think it was particularly well written compared to other true crime novels I've read from crime reporting journalists. Simon's version of events were pathetic (to say the least). I had to skim over some of the dialogue from him (& Rachelle Louise - why was her side of the story so prominent in the trial anyway?), the oxygen thief that he is. Very common amongst narcissistic minded people, always the victim, never the villain. All Lisa's actions lead to his reactions, not the other way round. It makes me so angry that these types of people think they should be so entitled at the expense of someone else's physical & mental well being. As noted within the book by Joan Harnum, the sentence Simon received is nothing compared to the life sentence she has received, losing her daughter. May Lisa be resting in peace.
July 27, 2024
This book draws attention on domestic violence and its prevalence in our society.
I remember seeing this story on the news over a decade ago. Media outlets across the country showed the shocking images of Lisa running in the hallway and her fiancé grabbing her around the neck. Sixty nine seconds later, Lisa was dead. I could only imagine the terror Lisa felt in those last few minutes of her life.
Amy Dale, a court reporter, tells us this story of a very toxic relationship. We are given very clear events on what happened that fateful day and what led up to it. We even get to dive down into Lisa’s childhood and her move to Australia. We also sadly see Lisa turn from a vibrant young woman to a recluse whose every move was control by her fiancé. No relationship is straight forward yet the complex relationship between Lisa and Simon show how deadly ‘love’ can be.
I remember seeing this story on the news over a decade ago. Media outlets across the country showed the shocking images of Lisa running in the hallway and her fiancé grabbing her around the neck. Sixty nine seconds later, Lisa was dead. I could only imagine the terror Lisa felt in those last few minutes of her life.
Amy Dale, a court reporter, tells us this story of a very toxic relationship. We are given very clear events on what happened that fateful day and what led up to it. We even get to dive down into Lisa’s childhood and her move to Australia. We also sadly see Lisa turn from a vibrant young woman to a recluse whose every move was control by her fiancé. No relationship is straight forward yet the complex relationship between Lisa and Simon show how deadly ‘love’ can be.
January 3, 2021
An absolutely compelling account of the relationship between Lisa Harnum and Simon Gittany that ended with fatal brutality when she "fell" from the balcony of their 15th floor apartment on the morning she attempted to run for her life. Fortunately in this case police were not all too willing to believe that her death was suicide or misadventure, for once we see a woman's life valued - if too late to save her at least our community and our justice system have not joined the convicted in throwing her away, over the balcony and into oblivion. This is no gratuitous or salacious recounting of a court case, but a vivid picture of how controlling domestic partnerships operate. There is every chance this book could save or change lives.
March 5, 2023
Very hard to give it a rating. What has changed in society when one woman + is being murdered per week at the hands of an intimate partner. Lisa banged on the door of neighbours and screamed for help but they failed to answer . How as a society do we ignore cries for help? How does a family not hold their son accountable for murder? How will he act toward women when he is released? My heart goes out to Lisa’s family x
September 20, 2019
I really binging Casefile podcasts at the minute so was drawn to this book via a social media post about it. Love true crime anything and this book did not disappoint. Cleverly reported Amy brings an element of suspense even when you know the outcome. A very sad tale of domestic violence and a mother’s love.
January 18, 2020
This was really hard to read because the story is so sad. Amy Dale did a pretty good job at not unfairly demonizing Gittany, but ultimately he is a horrible person than did a horrible thing. My heart hurts for Lisa Harnum and her family and it really was yet another wake up call to me that we need to be better to people think are in trouble and in abusive relationships.
March 25, 2025
So confusingly written, but it may be that the murderer, the victim, and the journalist all appear to have a CALD background. I skipped the whole middle, then didn't even finish til the end. It is an important story told tediously. Simply appalling grammar, which practically made it unreadable.
February 11, 2018
Justice Lucy McCallum was brilliant in this case.
September 3, 2024
An in-depth look into the horrors of domestic violence and a beautiful young woman life taken away .
April 8, 2018
Read for Pop Sugar challenge: 'A book by a local author' (prompt no. 20).
January 13, 2015
The Fall traces the trial of R v Gittany in the NSW Supreme Court during 2013 and 2014. Simon Gittany was found guilty of murdering his fiancée, Lisa Harnum on July 30 2011 and Amy Dale does an excellent job of telling Lisa Harnum's sad story and shedding light on the absolute arrogance and controlling personality of Gittany who managed to totally control every aspect of Lisa Harnum's life so that to her friends and family she became a shadow of her former vibrant self. In the end this is a story about the absolute tragedy that domestic violence is.
May 28, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
This struck me as a well researched yet compassionate recollection of events. Like most people in Australia, I had seen the elevator footage where Simon Gittany grabbed Lisa Harnum and dragged her back into the apartment that they shared.
I found it very interesting to learn about the relationship that existed until this point and the subsequent investigation and trial. If you enjoy true crime, I would recommend this novel.
This struck me as a well researched yet compassionate recollection of events. Like most people in Australia, I had seen the elevator footage where Simon Gittany grabbed Lisa Harnum and dragged her back into the apartment that they shared.
I found it very interesting to learn about the relationship that existed until this point and the subsequent investigation and trial. If you enjoy true crime, I would recommend this novel.
September 8, 2014
Amy Dale did a great job with this book. A terribly sad story with lots of drama. I kept thinking throughout how sad it was that Lisa Harnum was so pathetically dependant on her boyfriend (and killer) Simon Gittany. I wanted her to leave and she nearly did... He was so controlling and Dale has documented that well in this book.
October 22, 2014
Interesting and considerate narrative with plenty of facts. Dale was thoughtful in her writing and retold the story well.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews