STORY: "Gordon Wood acquitted of murder of Caroline Byrne", by reporter Amy dale, published in the Courier Mail on February 25, 2012. (Australia);
GIST: "The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal has determined that Wood, who had been serving a minimum 13-year sentence for the crime, should not have to face another trial after accepting that evidence presented to the 2008 jury was flawed and his conviction unsafe.........During the eight-day hearing last year, Wood’s appeal barrister Tim Game SC presented nine grounds of appeal, which included evidence that forensic material presented at the trial was flawed. The appeal was told the evidence of associate physics professor Rod Cross was biased, and that the jury hadn’t been told the true extent of his involvement in the police case. Mr Game said that Professor Cross, who later wrote a book about the case and trial, had been part of “a project to prove Gordon Wood was guilty of murder”, leading Justice McClellan to note that the witness had “crossed the line no expert should cross." Professor Cross’s evidence to the jury - in which he said Wood was strong enough to throw his girlfriend the 11.8 out from the cliff face - was also scrutinised at the appeal, with Justice Rothman that those tests had been done with a compliant woman. "Surely… the person would be struggling so all the spear tests about throwing would be irrelevant, are they not?” he said. The appeal was also told that a photo said to be taken shortly after the model’s death and tendered to the murder trial was in fact taken in 2003 - a difference which could impact on the calculations that were presented by Professor Cross."
The entire story can be found at:http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/gordon-wood-aquitted-of-murder-of-caroline-byrne/story-fn6ck4a4-1226280979896?utm_term=forensic
See Networked Knowledge's new home page on the Gordon Wood case; It contains considerable information and insight.
http://netk.net.au/WoodHome.asp
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
I am monitoring this case. 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.
