Friday, March 31, 2017

Laurence Webb: Australia: Significant Development: 'Unprecedented' forensic disaster; This leading Australian DNA scientist has been 'sacked' - and 27 criminal convictions placed in doubt to date - West Australian Attorney General John Quigley says..."Mr Quigley said Laurence Webb, the senior forensic biologist with the state-run pathology centre Path West, had been dismissed for failing to follow established protocols. He said Mr Webb's dismissal cast doubt on the convictions of at least 27 people, including those involved in a number of high-profile murder cases. Mr Quigley said Mr Webb was sacked in August 2016 following an investigations by Path West, but the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) was not informed of the sacking until two days before Christmas. Mr Quigley, who became the state's Attorney-General two weeks ago, said he was only told on Monday this week. He described Mr Webb's sacking as a disaster that would have serious consequences.".Attorney-General Says... Leading DNA scientist sacked, 27 criminal convictions in doubt, WA Attorney-General says


PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "This is as serious as it gets in the administration of criminal justice.  This is unprecedented ... it is a huge disaster for the administration of criminal justice in Western Australia. That this could happen and be kept from the ODPP (Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions) for so long is of grave concern."

STORY: "Leading Australian DNA Scientist Sacked, 27 Criminal Convictions in Doubt, WA Attorney-General Says," by reporter Graeme Powell, published  by ABC News on March 31, 2017. (Thanks to Forensics Magazine for drawing this story to our attention. HL);

GIST: "The sacking of WA's leading DNA scientist for breaching testing protocols is an "unprecedented disaster" in the state's criminal history, Attorney-General John Quigley says."

KEY POINTS: "Laurence Webb sacked last August after issuing DNA results without peer review;  27 criminals including murderers may be able to challenge convictions: Attorney-General; Evidence not compromised, no incorrect results given to police or ODPP: health service."
    GIST: "The sacking of WA's leading DNA scientist for breaching testing protocols is an "unprecedented disaster" in the state's criminal history, Attorney-General John Quigley says." Mr Quigley said Laurence Webb, the senior forensic biologist with the state-run pathology centre Path West, had been dismissed for failing to follow established protocols. He said Mr Webb's dismissal cast doubt on the convictions of at least 27 people, including those involved in a number of high-profile murder cases. Mr Quigley said Mr Webb was sacked in August 2016 following an investigations by Path West, but the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) was not informed of the sacking until two days before Christmas. Mr Quigley, who became the state's Attorney-General two weeks ago, said he was only told on Monday this week. He described Mr Webb's sacking as a disaster that would have serious consequences. "This is as serious as it gets in the administration of criminal justice," he said. "This is unprecedented ... it is a huge disaster for the administration of criminal justice in Western Australia. "That this could happen and be kept from the ODPP for so long is of grave concern."  He said those convicted of murder "may be able to challenge their convictions" and 27 people convicted of a range of offences in a six-year period from 2008 to 2014 — cases that Mr Webb worked on — had been informed of the situation. "There are many questions to be asked about this and every one of the questions is a serious question with very serious consequences for Path West and some of its officers," Mr Quigley said. "Perhaps that Path West or somebody else can recover the situation by rerunning all the samples, I don't know. "But in matters that have already gone before the courts, convicted people may say 'we were denied the opportunity to cross examine the DNA expert who gave evidence at our trial because we did not know of this misconduct'." Lawyers have also expressed their concern. Former president of the Criminal Lawyers Association Anthony Eyers said he was shocked by the lack of oversight on the laboratory responsible for testing DNA evidence and on Mr Webb. "It's not only a reflection on him, it's a reflection of course on the culture in which he worked and the lack of oversight," he said.  "There really should have been a system is place which would have prevented this happening and someone effectively going rogue without supervision and without others knowing what was happening." Mr Eyers said Mr Webb's sacking would mean a review of all cases that relied heavily on DNA evidence. "DNA evidence can be crucial and essential in convincing a jury of the guilt of an accused person, so it needs very urgent examination," he said.""

    The entire story can be found at:

     http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-31/sacking-of-was-leading-dna-scientist-27-criminal-cases-in-doubt/8403618

    PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.