PHOTO CAPTION: "Further issues with cases are expected to be revealed by the mass retesting of forensic DNA samples."
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GIST: "Mass DNA re-testing at a beleaguered lab is likely to reveal issues with more cases, a state government warns amid reforms to keep the forensic samples for longer.
Queensland's state-run lab has been the subject of two full-scale inquiries into its operations since testing issues were first raised following the death of 23-year-old Shandee Blackburn, who was stabbed more than 20 times on her way home from work in Mackay in 2013.
The Liberal National government launched reforms after it emerged more than 40,000 of the state's most serious cases were "under a forensic cloud" following the back-to-back inquiries.
A DNA testing "debacle" was brought to light by the inquiries, a failure that may have led to offenders escaping conviction over nine years from 2007.
The LNP government on Tuesday moved amendments in parliament to ensure current DNA sample retention was extended from three to seven years to tackle the re-testing backlog, which may take years.
Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said further high profile cases will emerge from the re-testing after the amendment was moved.
"Who knows how many other Shandee Blackburns are out there. I hope none but I know that there will be many," she told parliament on Tuesday.
DNA material taken from suspects between June 14, 2025 and June 14, 2027 will be kept for up to three years under the amendment.
Lab samples would have been destroyed if the LNP government had not acted urgently, Ms Frecklington told parliament.
"This will help ensure that investigations into serious criminal offences can be conducted with all available information and will help preserve the confidence in our criminal justice system," she said.
After issues were raised following Ms Blackburn's death, forensic scientist Kirsty Wright spoke out about the government-run lab and triggered two inquiries in as many years.
The first was in 2022 led by Walter Sofronoff KC, and found many DNA samples went untested and others were incorrectly ruled insufficient.
Retired Federal Court judge Annabelle Bennett led the second in 2023, which found an automated extraction method yielded up to 92 per cent less DNA than the manual technique.
The LNP government chose Dr Wright to oversee forensic lab reforms when it won the October 2024 election.
The amendment on Tuesday was a recommendation of Dr Wright, who is overseeing a DNA Lab Review and handing down recommendations with renowned FBI expert Bruce Budowle in mid-2025.
Ms Frecklington said the LNP government had also delivered $6 million to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to allow victims' cases impacted by the testing backlog to be finalised sooner."
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. 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.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
