Category Archives: Australia/New Zealand

ABC critical report on forensic evidence in Australian courts.

Leading forensic science and legal expert Prof Gary Edmond has featured in a highly critical report on forensic evidence being presented in Australian courts. Much of it is backed by very little ‘science’. Using voice identification evidence to illustrate some of the pitfalls, the report warns that much forensic evidence can be “dangerously misleading”. Read the full report here…

Courts’ use of forensic evidence called into question

David Protess Reviews some of the Stunning Wrongful Conviction A-List Movies

David Protess, President Chicago Innocence Project in this Chicago Huffington Post, reviews and lays bare, the synopsis of what he considers the top ten list of wrongful conviction films and documentaries. He states that:

‘In the last two decades, wrongful convictions have become a particualarly popular subject of feature films and documentaries, prompted by the seemingly endless stream of high profile exonerations. A-list actors, directors and producers have jumped on the bandwagon to tell their stories. Despite the Hollywood firepower, however, the results have been mixed. Some movies about wrongful convictions have been stunningly good. Others, not so much’

Read full review here and may be you might be minded to make out time to buy the ones that catches your fancy.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-protess/wrongful-conviction-best-films_b_1156689.html

Sunday’s Quick Clicks…

Protections for the innocent becomes election issue in New Zealand.

In New Zealand, the Labour Party is making the protection of innocent people in the criminal justice system a campaign issue:   Labour is going into the next election with a justice reform platform aimed at boosting confidence that innocent people are not being sent to prison. The party is developing a policy which would see new rules affecting everyone from the police officer to the Governor-General.

A Labour party spokesman has stated that they wish to make the justice system more ‘transparent’ with greater oversight, to improve public confidence. The Justice Minister replied by stating that the justice system in NZ was already one of the world’s best and these reforms were unnecessary. Read more here…

Labour takes aim at wrongful convictions

Tuesday’s Quick Clicks…

Australian teenager’s conviction overturned: re-trial ordered.

An Australian youth, 15 at the time of the offence, was convicted of ‘inciting’ a ‘king hit’ that killed a 21 year old at the Maitland Show in 2009. Among other irregularities, the 17 year old who had actually been the one to hit the victim – was given a sentence discount for testifying against the 15 year old boy. The conviction has now been declared a ‘miscarriage of justice’ and the youth will be re-tried. Read more here:

Acquittal over Maitland Show death

A New Zealand Study of How Panties Tear to Help Identify False Claims…

From a press report:

Forensic scientists are studying women’s knickers and how they tear to help police determine whether a sexual-assault complaint is authentic.

The Otago University study on how several types of common underwear fabric tear under force has been published in the latestForensic Science International journal.

Researchers said the results could be important in cases of false sexual assault accusations where underwear had been torn using scissors or a knife.

The paper said identifying a false sexual-assault Continue reading

Some Australians Concerned About New Head of Parole Board

Questions of conflict of interest and his involvement in a wrongful conviction while a prosecutor…..From news source:

A former Director of Public Prosecutions who helped jail thousands of criminals will now be responsible for deciding whether they are released on parole, raising concerns of a potential conflict of interest.

Robert Cock, who led the office of the DPP between 1999 and 2009, was yesterday appointed chair of the Parole Review Board, which determines whether eligible prisoners are released back into society.

The Australian Lawyers Alliance and the state opposition have raised concerns that the Continue reading

Two men exonerated in Fiji

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The Fiji Times Online is reporting that two men, convicted in 2007 of a murder and sentenced to life, were wrongly convicted after the real perpetrator, who acted alone, confessed in 2009. Read more here….

Friday’s Quick Clicks…

“Miscarriages of Justice and Australian Criminal Appeals – a public presentation

Australia’s Bond University have a talk on Miscarriages of Justice at The Faculty of Law on 22nd March, by

Dr Robert Moles on the
“Miscarriages of Justice and Australian Criminal Appeals – a failure of human rights and the ‘rule of law’.”

see more details and register here….

Thursday’s Quick Clicks…

Wednesday’s Quick Clicks…

Cuts to Forensic jobs in New South Wales, Australia: Threat to justice

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Senior forensic scientists in New South Wales, Australia, are warning that the drastic cuts to the forensic science workforce in the cash-strapped state, will threaten justice. The workforce is being cut by almost a quarter, with police being asked to do primary collection of potential DNA. The State already has a significant backlog of cases where evidence remains to be tested. Claude Roux warns that with police submitting samples for testing, DNA may lose its context – a vital element in correctly interpreting DNA. Read more about the cuts here…

Justice miscarriage warning over forensic job cuts

Monday’s Quick Clicks…

Sunday’s Quick Clicks…

Saturday’s Quick Clicks…

Friday’s Quick Clicks…

Thursday’s Quick Clicks…

  • Judge in Mexico recommends release of French citizen Florence Cassez, who was convicted in Mexico of kidnapping.  Many French citizens believe Cassez was wrongfully convicted, and now it appears the judge has similar concerns
  • Two police officers in Aurora, Illinois did the right thing in following up leads that led to exoneration (more here)
  • Kansas exoneree Joe Jones relieved that CODIS DNA database entry of the DNA from his case results in a “cold hit” to the true perpetrator
  • Houston lawyer exposes the prosecutorial misconduct involved in the Michael Morton wrongful conviction case
  • Television drama about the Great Mint Swindle, a famous wrongful conviction case in Australia, airs Sunday night in New Zealand
  • Governor in Maryland considers clemency petition of Innocence Project client; prosecutor supports the petition, saying he would not have brought the charges if he knew then what he knows now

Indigenous prisoners in Australia: 9 out of 10 have significant hearing loss

New research into the hearing of Indigenous prisoners has found that a shocking 94% have significant hearing problems. This is compounded by language difficulties that mean that many are not able to hear, nor understand, criminal justice proceedings. This, in a country where a QUARTER of the prison population are Indigenous Australians, (from a prevalence of approx. 2.5% of the general population). Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders suffer many injustices, being arrested and imprisoned wrongly is a significant one. Read a summary here….

Hearing loss hits NT indigenous inmates