Witness shunned by police

Reports from the ongoing Mallard Enquiry in Australia -- investigating a VERY crooked wrongful conviction. These Australian cops could give Chicago police lessons in dishonesty

A witness who may have seen and spoken to Simon Rochford [the real murdererd] on the day of Pamela Lawrence's murder was shunned by police, who never disclosed his statement. In a bizarre set of circumstances, Mosman Park man Lloyd Peirce was himself subjected to a search by police in relation to the murder.

Mr Peirce, who lived near Mrs Lawrence's shop in 1994, told a uniformed officer guarding the murder scene he had seen a man running from the area earlier that day. The CCC heard that in hindsight, his description of the man - who he drew in a pencil sketch that has been preserved - looked like the killer, Rochford. But instead of having his statement taken as an eyewitness, Mr Peirce was treated as a suspect by Detective David Caporn (now an Assistant Commissioner).

Statements of witnesses who saw a suspicious-looking man near the scene of Pamela Lawrence's 1994 murder were altered during the investigation, the Mallard inquiry has been told. Different versions of the statements of four eyewitnesses were produced by detectives who had arrested Andrew Mallard, each one removing factors that did not gel with his description.

It has also been revealed the Corruption and Crime Commission will investigate a claim by Mr Mallard that he was supplied with cannabis and a "bong" during an undercover operation in 1994. CCC lawyer Peter Quinlan told the hearing this morning there was no doubt that Mr Mallard smoked cannabis during the period he was under investigation for the Pamela Lawrence murder. He had claimed consistently that the undercover officer, "Gary", supplied him with "some of the cannabis and a large green bong".

Sensational tapes of an undercover operation run on Mr Mallard were played at the CCC inquiry today. The second day of the CCC's hearings into the Mallard matter has heard that information given by Mr Mallard in his "confessions" to police was introduced to him by an undercover officer assigned to his case. Scratchy recordings of conversations reveal that UCO "Gary" mentioned a "Sidchrome" spanner to Mr Mallard.

The fact that Mr Mallard drew a wrench with the word "Sidchrome" on it during a police interview several days later was a major prosecution point at his later trial, which resulted in him spending 12 years in prison for Pamela Lawrence's murder.

Report here



(And don't forget your ration of Wicked Thoughts for today)