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."
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/
