Huron Expositor, 2007-02-21, Page 9The Huron Expositor • February 21, 2007 Page 9
News
Verdict from five justices on historic review of
Truscott's murder conviction expected in six months
The five justices con-
ducting the historic
review of Steven
Truscott's 1959 murder
conviction rose for the
last time Wednesday at
Osgoode Hall.
The final day of the
nearly three week-long
hearing saw Justice
David Doherty call
defence lawyer James
Lockyer to task on
some of his assertions
with regard to maggots
found on the murder
victim Lynne Harper's
body.
"What is there in the
evidence that could
possibly allow us to fix the size of
those maggots within a half -mil-
limetre?" asked Doherty when
Lockyer suggested the panel should
assume a particular length for mag-
gots that were found on the girl's
face.
Those maggots are a central fac-
tor in determining whether Lynne
Harper died June 9, 1959, or later,
since that evidence was the most
damning in Truscott's original con-
viction.
Steven
Truscott
self here," said
Doherty. "I must say,
Mr. Lockyer, that if
the shoe were on the
other foot ... we
would be peeling you
off the roof."
Apart from
that exchange, the
defence had a mostly
amiable three weeks
at Osgoode Hall.
As it stands,
both the Crown and
defence agree a retri-
al is impossible given
that many of the wit-
nesses have passed
away and some of
the physical evidence
has been destroyed.
Lockyer told the court that it is
clear Truscott was wrongfully con-
victed in a Goderich courtroom in
1959.
"An acquittal and a belief in inno-
cence go hand-in-hand. As you move
toward one, in our submission, it is
inevitable that you move toward the
other."
Defence lawyer Phil Campbell
told the court it is clear evidence
that would have vindicated Truscott
"You've got to get a hold of your- was concealed by
Huron County
considers $1 million
grant towards
CT scanner
for Goderich hospital
Cheryl Heath
The County of Huron will be including something
entirely different in its 2007 budget deliberations.
Council was given the heads up Wednesday that
pitching in to purchase a Computerized Topography
(CT) scanner, valued at about $5 -million, will be dis-
cussed in upcoming budget debates.
The idea is to purchase the scanner, which is
described as a special type of x-ray machine, and house
it at Alexandra Marine and General hospital in
Goderich for the use of all county residents.
The county is being asked to ante up with $1 million
for the endeavour, while the Town of Goderich is asked
to match that amount. The Goderich hospital founda-
tion also plans to donate $500,000, leaving the balance
to fundraising.
According to information contained in county council's
package, there are about 1,800 county residents are
waiting for a CT scan at any given time.
the Crown.
Campbell pointed to the fact
Truscott's lawyer at the time, Frank
Donnelly, was an esteemed member
of the bar who would not have
ignored the testimony of witnesses
that vindicated Truscott.
Simply put, said Campbell,
Donnelly was not aware of the evi-
dence's existence.
Chief Justice Roy McMurtry
thanked both sides for their exhaus-
tive research and
commitment to
the hearing.
McMurtry did
not indicate
when the justices
will mete out
their verdict,
though it is
anticipated to be
in the next four
to six months.
Truscott's
hearing was the
first to be tele-
vised in Ontario
history. The now
62 -year-old is
hoping to have
his name cleared
in connection to
the rape and murder of his school-
mate on the air force base that is
today known as Vanastra.
Truscott spent four months on
death row before the Ontario Court
of Appeal commuted his death sen-
tence to life.
He served 10 years and was
paroled at age 24. He lives in
Guelph with his wife, Marlene. The
couple has three adult children.
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