Trial by trickery or how Scott was stitched up

[Winston001]

The trial took twelve weeks - juries are likely to acquit after long trials, partly to punish the prosecution for taking so long. They are also usually so confused after that length of time that they cannot agree on a guilty verdict.

Scott Watson was convicted on a totality of evidence. He was not convicted on the hatch cover scratches, nor on Olivias hair which the prosecution acknowledged at trial might have, on a very long shot, come from him brushing past her onshore. But it was on his boat.

The boat had a patch of barnacles rubbed off its bottom as if something had been rubbing against it in the water.

The water taxi chap Wallace insisted he saw a ketch - but he also insisted it was Watson he delivered - along with Ben and Olivia, to exactly where Watson's boat was moored. The only variation is the type of boat.

Furthermore when first interviewed Wallace drew a picture of a yacht with the word "ketch?" after it. So he was quite uncertain at that point and only firmed up his memory later when questioned by journalists. Wallace is an honest man who has made a mistake.

As for the police ignoring the "ketch" - absolute nonsence. There were something like 200 photographs taken of the bay and there is no ketch anywhere. The police asked for sightings etc but it was never found - because it never existed.

[Jantar]

A ketch is a yacht, but not all yachts are ketches. Just like a cruiser is a motorcycle, but not all motocycles are cruisers. For Wallace to mix up a ketch and a sloop would be like a professional motorcycle mixing up a commuter and a sports bike.

[Swoop]

I'm sure I would be, but it doesnt change the fact that for society as a whole its better to kill 1 innocent person than let 9 others back into society. That being said, I'd vote for a watered down death penalty which only allowed it with DNA proof, which alot more people would support I expect. Pity they'll never put me in charge.. I'd make the judicidal system so mean they'd rather die than goto jail :-)

A recent item:
"So far more than 200 convicts have been released from U.S. prisons after DNA testing proved them innocent, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. A study of 60 such "exonerees" showed each had been imprisoned for an average of 12 years."

[Winston001]

The worst part of the Scott Watson case is that there is absolutely no evidence that the young couple are even dead, let alone that a murder has taken place.

Exactly - so that shows how strong the Crown case against Watson was.

Watson was convicted upon the totality of evidence - not just a hair and not just because he was there. Whatever Wallace says about a ketch in his completely honest way - and I'm sure he believes it - he also says he delivered Ben, Olivia, and Watson to the exact spot where Watson's yacht was moored. It was at the end of a line of boats rafted together.

[rwh]

... he also says he delivered Ben, Olivia, and Watson to the exact spot where Watson's yacht was moored. It was at the end of a line of boats rafted together.

I hadn't heard that before, but I have been on a yacht moored in such a raft, in the sounds.

If the mystery ketch had been moored temporarily to Watson's yacht, it would then be on the end of the line - and only a few metres away. And Watson would have happily climbed aboard and crossed it to get to his own; it'd be the easiest way to get there. You'd think he'd say so in court ... but he was drunk at the time, right? Many people seem unable to remember how they got home after a night on the booze.

Richard

[Lias]

A recent item:
"So far more than 200 convicts have been released from U.S. prisons after DNA testing proved them innocent, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. A study of 60 such "exonerees" showed each had been imprisoned for an average of 12 years."

Everyone knows the US justice system is pretty shit.. its retardedly easy to qualify as law enforcement over there. I think ours is alot more robust (but still far from perfect). That being said the US currently has 2.2 MILLION inmates behind bars.. 200 innocent out of that lot is still a tiny tiny tiny drop in the bucket. Theres 3350 on death row.. 200 is only 6 percent of THAT (and I doubt all 200 were on death row).. of the total prison population 200 is like .0001 percent.

[MSTRS:Me]

The thing that is easy to forget is that the jury often do not get to hear all the facts due to clever legal manouevring stopping some damning or refuting evidence being allowed presentation...

This works virtually entirely in favour of the defence. All of the pre-trial arguments are usually about the defence trying to get evidence suppressed as prejudicial to a fair trial. I can't even think of a circumstance where the Crown would try to suppress evidence.

You what? Where did I say that the prosecution would suppress damning evidence? The defence would of course, but the prosecution would be after throwing out evidence against their case. It's what lawyers do.

Watson was convicted upon the totality of evidence -

That much is probably true. The thing about this case is that the police were very quick to decide that Watson was the guilty party and set about ensuring that all and sundry believed them. 'Evidence', like statistics, can be made to say whatever is wanted by clever folks. Nowhere is it written that the interpretation of that evidence has to be true and correct. It is up to a jury in these cases to decide which lawyer was the most believeable, not which one was right.
As has happened before, the prosecution's case was believed at the time, but subsequent evidence gave another picture, as is happening here.

[dangerous]

ya know its also funny how the taxi guy droped the couple off and they climed up a ladder to the boat, watsons boat Is mored not far from were I live... its deck is damn near at water line, it wasnt his boat the taxi driver drope the couple off at.

Watson was seen out in the straight, some say thats were he dumped the bodys, he was then seen in a bay in the sounds, both times and dates are ssuposed to be documented... well watsons old man took watsons boat to were it was seen in the straight and sailed it at full noise with tail wind to were it was next seen... his best effort was 2hrs out, thers no way that boat could have been in either or both places at the times stated.

[SPman]

...... That being said the US currently has 2.2 MILLION inmates behind bars.. 200 innocent out of that lot is still a tiny tiny tiny drop in the bucket. Theres 3350 on death row.. 200 is only 6 percent of THAT (and I doubt all 200 were on death row).. of the total prison population 200 is like .0001 percent.

Yes, but they aren't testing the entire prison population, mainly a small selection of mainly death row and lifers, and where DNA is available to do the tests.

That being said the US currently has 2.2 MILLION inmates behind bars.

and that says a lot about their society for a start