Bizarre postscript to Azaria Chamberlain story.

This is the first I've heard of this tragic tangle.

Personally, if I were the woman incarcerated for two years--or a member of her family--I'd be feeling murderous.

The most upsetting part of Frank Cole's story for me is his emphasis on his helplessness. His mates were not a source of strength, but a part of the burden. If he's telling the truth, he acted for the good of the group and became damned as an individual.

Well, this story about 'Australia's "dingo" case' is really most bizarre.

Whole damn thing was bizarre.

Never have I experienced such an outbreak of mass hysteria - even normally steady, rational folk went weird.

dlowan, wasn't this case made into a movie?

the story is hard to believe - wonder if it is true?

Imagine knowing what happened and not saying - but someone obviously did! Was it this chap?

A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels ), 1988, Directed by Fred Schepisi

Unbelievable. I remember the case and the total tragedy of it.
That poor mother, if this man is telling the truth. How he could let her be imprisoned is really beyond belief.

Thanks Walter I thought I remembered seeing a movie about this.. Unfortunately that is my only source of information about this case but as I remember it, the behavior of the police and prosecutors was portrayed as pretty odious.

It was.

It was outrageous, in fact.

As I said - a weird, dark force erupted. They were out to get her - against reason and sense.

I mean, the whole story WAS strange - but the case somehow made Lindy the recipient of the dark projections of - it seemed like - half the nation.

A bit like the little beauty queen kid who was murdered? Whoever she was?

But - that whole kid beauty queen scene - to my prejudiced li'l brain - IS sick! This was a hitherto perfectly normal mum, in weird circumstances, about whom folk - fanned by the press - went mad.

I mean - by all means investigate - I am not saying that that ought not to have happened - but 'twas a witch hunt.

And the forensics!!!!!

'Twas the local forensics people - Darwin, where the case was tried, uses Adelaide's forensics for the tough stuff.

There have continued to be ongoing major doubts about the competence of that lab.

I really have no words. I just hope it's some kind of lunatic that wants some intention.
I mean, he let the mother to go to jail for killing her baby because he was afraid he'll be in trouble for having a gun in national park????

Um, no, I really have no words.
$%(")?**"#$##$#"!!!!!!!!#%"!!!!!

I recently read Lindy's book about it all and while it is obviously onesided there was undoubtedly some very poor police work done on the case and the media were to blame for most of the hysteria as they so often are.

How much did Rupert Murdock contribute to the media hysteria?

I don't think Murdoch personally contributes to such things back here in Oz.

he's more interested in politics...or was.

His New York paper the Post made a big political gaff this morning, see Walters post

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28283&highlight=

Look - stop it already with the smegging Murdoch, ok?

I have already APOLOGIZED for Murdoch! We're SORRY, ok?

It is just MEAN to keep mentioning him. This is his HOME TOWN, ok?

Hmmm - I don't think you can blame any one thing for these things.

I believe the police, for instance, were feeding the media with much silly speculation and prejudice, for instance.

And - the thing touched some dark underbelly here - it was so archetypal - the rock, madonna/evil woman - it made me sick at the time, as I watched normally reasonable folk gripped by some sort of hysteria against her - and it makes me just as sick now.

Thing is, I was working in the "criminal justice system" at the time. Hadn't been for long - but I knew already how seldom the media report any recognizeable truth about justice matters (although they can't publish the crap American media can - at least when a case is sub judice), how strange is the version of "truth" that emerges in courts, and how weird people can get.

The media damage was done before she ever faced trial - because the matter was NOT sub judice - so the media had free slather - within libel laws - and they published bizarre rumours (often fed to them by police, who by this time were running a vendetta).

When the evidence was actually heard in a trial, many savvy media folk became much less sure - those who could sift through the forensics. So - once convicted, many turned coat, and began to support her!

The key was a spray of sound proofing material that (as it happened) appeared in most cars of the Chamberlains' type, in the front by the front passenger's legs. This manufacturing artefact was mis-identified by the main forensic scientist as "an arterial spray" of foetal blood!!!!!!! Azaria was young enough to still have such factors in her blood.

This is not the first time, as I said, the Adelaide forensics lab has given evidence, later over-turned (though this never officially was - Lindy was "pardoned").

sorry, I didn't realize this was such a touchy subject. He's a US citizen now anyways.

And you're surely welcome to him!