Frustration - are you kidding?

Frustration: are they kidding?


Police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan is quoted as saying the five officers, who were stood down in the wake of the cold case review of the Pamela Lawrence murder, are getting frustrated that it is taking so long to complete.

A few pertinent facts may put this frustration into perspective.

These officers were stood down in May on full pay. They are entitled to free legal representation, due to the provisions of the CCC Act.

On May 16, the West Australian reported that Premier Alan Carpenter said the police should apologise to wrongfully convicted Andrew Mallard.

Former Chief Justice David Malcolm has declared that Mr Mallard had suffered a grave injustice and that if the full facts had been presented to him, he would have overturned the conviction in the 1995 appeal.

No police apology has been tendered. Mr Mallard spent nearly 12 years in jail for a crime he did not commit, based on a conviction that was won with purportedly shoddy and omitted evidence.

Mr Mallard has passed two lie detector tests with flying colours. To the best of my knowledge, none of the seven main participants, who saw to it that Mr Mallard was convicted, have taken lie detector tests.

Twelve years' incarceration against two months' paid leave, and meantime not a word of empathy for Mr Mallard and what he has suffered.

Another victim of crime thrown on the scrapheap by the current police regime.

Michelle,
Mosman Park