In August 1925, Audrey Jacob shot dead her former fianc, Cyril Gidley, in full view of hundreds of guests at a charity ball in Perths Government House. When she was arrested, she still held the gun in her hand. It was a open and shut case of wilful murder that is until Jacob assigned prosecutor Arthur Haynes to her defence. His ability to play the press and the jury for sympathy would lead to a sensational result. The Ballroom Murder is a true crime story that is rich with first-hand newspaper accounts from the day, and demonstrates the power of the press and privilege in an extraordinary judicial outcome.