Michael Chamberlain: Australia; Barbara Etter's personal reflections on the death of Dr Michael Chamberlain, January 2017... " I hope that Michael is remembered as someone who was prepared to take on the “system”, pursue justice against all odds and persevere until the very end, whilst maintaining a quiet dignity and enduring faith in humanity."... "I was one of the many Australians who originally thought that Lindy must have been guilty (with Michael possibly involved somehow). The public focus seemed to be very much on Lindy. I certainly did not hold that opinion regarding guilt after the Morling Inquiry and the revelations concerning the deeply flawed forensic evidence presented by a number of local and overseas scientists. Most Australians will never forget being told that the supposed foetal blood spray under the dashboard of the family car was actually sound deadener. I still also vividly remember the day we found out about the finding of the matinee jacket, which Lindy had always said Azaria was wearing at the time she disappeared. I was attending the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS) conference in Melbourne, where forensic biologist/scientist Joy Kuhl was also in attendance. The accidental discovery of the jacket, after a man had fallen to his death from Ayers Rock or Uluru, was to be a turning point in the Chamberlains' pursuit of justice."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Over the years, this Blog has devoted numerous posts to the  horrific miscarriage of justice suffered by Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, the unceasing efforts of the Chamberlaine's to discover the truth of Azariah's death (in the face of the government's deaf ears and obfuscation, and the perversions of forensic science that tainted the case. As I was unaware that Dr. Michael Chamberlain had passed away in January, I very much appreciate Barbara Etter's fine post on the Chamberlain's pursuit of justice, and Michael Chamberlain's premature and tragic death.

POST: "Personal Reflections on the Death of Dr Michael Chamberlain January 2017," by Barbara Etter posted on her most informative Blog "Protecting Fundamental Rights - Integrity, Justice and Humanity," on January 18, 2017.

GIST:  "As a person with a strong interest in justice and a particular passion in relation to miscarriages of justice, I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Dr Michael Chamberlain’s recent death. I had 16 years with the NT Police (from 1988-2004), post Chamberlain, working 11 of those years in Darwin (1988-1999). I was also involved in forensic science issues at the national level in the mid 1980’s, whilst at the then National Police Research Unit, following on from the Chamberlain case and the 1987 Morling Inquiry. I was one of the many Australians who originally thought that Lindy must have been guilty (with Michael possibly involved somehow). The public focus seemed to be very much on Lindy. I certainly did not hold that opinion regarding guilt after the Morling Inquiry and the revelations concerning the deeply flawed forensic evidence presented by a number of local and overseas scientists. Most Australians will never forget being told that the supposed foetal blood spray under the dashboard of the family car was actually sound deadener. I still also vividly remember the day we found out about the finding of the matinee jacket, which Lindy had always said Azaria was wearing at the time she disappeared. I was attending the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS) conference in Melbourne, where forensic biologist/scientist Joy Kuhl was also in attendance. The accidental discovery of the jacket, after a man had fallen to his death from Ayers Rock or Uluru, was to be a turning point in the Chamberlains' pursuit of justice. Michael’s death struck me as premature and tragic. I immediately wondered if the personal stress of all of those hard fought years – 32 years in seeking real justice – had taken its toll on his health. I remember well his words “if you know you are in the right, never, ever give up”. (Quoted at page 286 of Innocence Regained: The Fight to Free Lindy Chamberlain Norman H. Young The Federation Press 1989). He had certainly continued the fight, but at what cost? As his 2012 book Heart of Stone states, a book which was published the same year as the Coronial Inquest which corrected the official record of his baby daughter’s death, Michael’s fight for justice revealed the triumph of overcoming insurmountable odds to get to the truth. I admired Michael Chamberlain and his determination to get justice in a system which sometimes resists admitting that it might have got it wrong. It appears that Michael and Lindy may have been too naïve and trusting when it came to the investigation and subsequent inquiries into Azaria’s death. Perhaps they thought if they had nothing to hide that the system would work with them to reveal the truth. They under-estimated the prejudice and bigotry in sections of our society at that time, the power of the media, along with community innuendo and rumour, and the legal concept of the finality of a conviction (which has been discussed by those involved in Innocence Projects and research into why miscarriages of justice occur...Dr Ken Crispin, a barrister who appeared for the Chamberlains, who later went on to take silk, become a Judge and the President of the ACT Court of Appeal, in his book The Chamberlain Case: The Legal Saga that Transfixed the Nation (Scribe Melbourne 2012), points out that this was a case in which the prosecution had been able to produce no eyewitnesses, no body, no confession, and no motive. He goes on to discuss how it was that a jury's verdict, twice upheld on appeal, could have led to a miscarriage of justice (p.4). I was pleased to see Lindy and Michael's solicitor during the case, Mr Stuart Tipple, speaking to the NSW media on Monday 16 January 2017, following Michael's funeral. Stuart stated that Michael had two unfulfilled wishes. He and Lindy had never received an apology from the NT Government and he was never able to organise a memorial plaque for Azaria at Ayers Rock. I hope that Michael is remembered as someone who was prepared to take on the “system”, pursue justice against all odds and persevere until the very end, whilst maintaining a quiet dignity and enduring faith in humanity."

The entire post can be found at:

http://www.betterconsult.com.au/blog/personal-reflections-on-the-death-of-dr-michael-chamberlain-january-2017/

 

See also the Wikipedia account at the link below: "Azaria Chamberlain (11 June 1980 – 17 August 1980) was an Australian 2-month old baby girl who was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980 on a family camping trip to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) in the Northern Territory. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo. Lindy Chamberlain was, however, tried for murder and spent more than three years in prison. She was released when a piece of Azaria's clothing was found near a dingo lair, and new inquests were opened. In 2012, some 32 years after Azaria's death, the Chamberlains' version of events was officially confirmed by a coroner. An initial inquest held in Alice Springs supported the parents' claim and was highly critical of the police investigation. The findings of the inquest were broadcast live on television—a first in Australia. Subsequently, after a further investigation and a second inquest held in Darwin, Lindy Chamberlain was tried for murder, convicted on 29 October 1982 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Azaria's father, Michael Chamberlain, was convicted as an accessory after the fact and given a suspended sentence. The media focus for the trial was unusually intense and aroused accusations of sensationalism, while the trial itself was criticised for being unprofessional and biased. The Chamberlains made several unsuccessful appeals, including the final High Court appeal. After all legal options had been exhausted, the chance discovery in 1986 of a piece of Azaria's clothing in an area full of dingo lairs led to Lindy Chamberlain's release from prison. On 15 September 1988, the Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously overturned all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain.^[6] A third inquest was conducted in 1995, which resulted in an "open" finding.^[5] At a fourth inquest held on 12 June 2012, Coroner Elizabeth Morris delivered her findings that Azaria Chamberlain had been taken and killed by a dingo. After being released, Lindy Chamberlain was paid $1.5 million for false imprisonment^[7] and an amended death certificate was issued immediately. Numerous books have been written about the case. The story has been made into a TV movie, the feature film Evil Angels (released outside of Australia and New Zealand as A Cry in the Dark), a TV miniseries, a play by Brooke Pierce, a concept album by Australian band The Paradise Motel and an opera, Lindy, by Moya Henderson.........The final resolution of the case was triggered by a chance discovery. In early 1986, English tourist David Brett fell to his death from Uluru during an evening climb. Because of the vast size of the rock and the scrubby nature of the surrounding terrain, it was eight days before Brett's remains were discovered, lying below the bluff where he had lost his footing and in an area full of dingo lairs. As police searched the area, looking for missing bones that might have been carried off by dingoes, they discovered a small item of clothing. It was quickly identified as the crucial missing piece of evidence from the Chamberlain case, Azaria's missing matinee jacket.^[19] The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory ordered Lindy Chamberlain's immediate release and the case was reopened. On 15 September 1988, the Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously overturned all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain.^[6] The exoneration was based on a rejection of two key points of the prosecution's case and of biased and invalid assumptions made during the initial trial. The questionable nature of the forensic evidence in the Chamberlain trial, and the weight given to it, raised concerns about such procedures and about expert testimony in criminal cases. The prosecution had successfully argued that the pivotal haemoglobin tests indicated the presence of foetal haemoglobin in the Chamberlains' car and it was a significant factor in the original conviction. But it was later shown that these tests were highly unreliable and that similar tests, conducted on a "sound deadener" sprayed on during the manufacture of the car, had yielded virtually identical results. Two years after they were exonerated, the Chamberlains were awarded A$1.3 million in compensation for wrongful imprisonment, a sum that covered less than one third of their legal expenses.^[20]The findings of the third coroner's inquest were released on 13 December 1995; and the coroner found "the cause and manner of death as unknown."^[5] The findings of the fourth coroner's inquest were released on 12 June 2012;^[2] and the coroner found that: ii) Azaria Chamberlain died at Uluru, then known as Ayers Rock, on 17 August 1980. iii) The cause of her death was as the result of being attacked and taken by a dingo."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Azaria_Chamberlain

 

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;