Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Michael Stone; UK; (DNA testing using 'new' methods and much more): Guardian Journalist Sirin Kale asks whether Michael stone is in prison for a murder he diid not commit - noting that he was jailed for the murders of Lin and Megan Russell in 1997, and now, 26 years, two trials and two appeals later, his case is being reviewed… "McDonald (Stone's solicitor) has twice previously applied to the CCRC, which is the only institution that has the power to refer cases back to the court of appeal, but on both occasions he was rejected. Now, in an email, the CCRC appeared to indicate that it would carry out further scientific testing, possibly using a new method, Y-STR DNA testing, not available at the time of Stone’s conviction. It could be significant. “There is forensic material,” says McDonald, “that we know is not Stone’s, that was never really identified.”

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: " There has always been unease among observers about the safety of Stone’s conviction. In 1999, the journalist Jo-A...
Monday, November 27, 2023

David Tamihere: New Zealand: (Jailhouse informants case): Convicted 33 years ago of the murders of Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen, he is set to have his appeal heard on Tuesday November 27, RNZ (Open Justice Reporter Ethan Griffitths) reports…"His 1990 trial heard that he sexually abused both tourists before murdering them and dumping their bodies in the sea. The eventual convictions were based predominantly on circumstantial evidence and remain some of New Zealand's most controversial. Questions about the case never leave Tamihere, who was eventually freed from prison on parole in 2010. He says his fervent denials while he was behind bars were not the easy route to freedom. He believes he would have been granted parole earlier if he had accepted his conviction. His battle has always been for what he says is the truth. In 2020 he was granted the royal prerogative of mercy after evidence that contributed to his conviction was found to be false. His case was then referred back to the Court of Appeal, where his lawyer will appear in Wellington on Tuesday."

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: " On 10 April 1989, Tamihere came across the Swedish couple's white Subaru, "loaded with gear" and pa...