A Queensland mother jailed for helping her son escape drug trafficking charges by fleeing on a yacht has been granted a retrial.
Elizabeth Anne Turner was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and three counts of giving false testimony in the Queensland District Court in November 2020.
Turner allegedly lied to police during the hunt for son Markis, the accused mastermind of a multi-million drug syndicate.
He was on bail and weeks away from trial in 2015 when he boarded the yacht his mother helped him buy and sailed out of the jurisdiction.
Turner had provided surety of $450,000 and $70,000 cash as part of her son's bail conditions.
The doting mother later travelled to Poland with his wife and children.
His life on the run ended after a two-year chase when he was arrested in the Philippines.
During the police search, police allege Elizabeth Turner committed perjury by misleading investigators.
She claimed to believe her son had taken his own life when he disappeared.
The Crown alleged Turner had known all along that her son was alive.
The jury agreed, finding Turner guilty on all charges.
However, Turner's convictions were set aside by the Court of Appeal in a decision published on Tuesday.
Her defence team argued the trial judge's decision to exclude evidence from her daughter-in-law constituted a miscarriage of justice.
It argued her testimony was essential to prove the appellant's state of mind.
"The excluded evidence was relevant to the appellant's credit," the court found.
Turner will now face a retrial at a later date.
