Current The Murder of Shandee Blackburn - McKay *New investigative podcast by Hedley Thomas

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Tuesday June 7 at 8pm: Sky news

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'Shandee’s Story: The Search for Justice' to air on Sky News Australia

From the creator of The Teacher’s Pet, the most successful podcast investigation in Australian history, comes a new one-hour true crime television investigation Shandee’s Story: The Search for Justice, hosted by The Australian’s award-winning investigative journalist Hedley Thomas.
www.skynews.com.au www.skynews.com.au
'Based on The Australian’s true crime podcast series Shandee’s Story, Shandee’s Story: The Search for Justice will premiere Tuesday June 7 at 8pm AEST on Sky News.'

'A Sky News Australia investigation hosted by award-winning journalist Hedley Thomas will reveal new information and fresh perspectives from experts, family and friends, about the brutal killing of 23-year-old Shandee Blackburn.'

'Shandee’s Story: The Search for Justice shares new information and fresh perspectives from experts, family and friends, as concerns mount that there have been systemic failures over the past decade in the Queensland Government DNA laboratory, potentially affecting hundreds of cases.

The documentary will include interviews with Vicki and Shannah Blackburn (Shandee’s mother and sister), Greven Breadsell (former boxing coach of John Peros, (Shandee’s ex-boyfriend), Shannon Fentiman MP (Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Women, and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence), Steven Phillips (Shandee's friend, colleague and ex-roommate), Dr Kirsty Wright (Forensic Biologist) and Kristy Bell (Criminal lawyer who represented the Blackburn family at the 2019 inquest) and many more.'
 
Chris Kenny interviews Hedley Thomas on the Shandee case and the Chris Dawson trial.

www.skynews.com.au

Shandee Blackburn murder investigation may have been ‘profoundly’ impacted by lab errors

The Australian's National Chief Correspondent Hedley Thomas says a series of errors in the handling of forensic evidence at a Queensland state-run lab could have "profoundly" affected the investigation into the murder of Shandee Blackburn. Ms Blackburn at 23 years old was stabbed more than 20...
www.skynews.com.au www.skynews.com.au
'May 31, 2022 - 8:54PM'
 
Last edited:

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QLD Government wanting to get ahead of the Sky News Shandee's Story special on Tuesday night (8pm AEST).

www.theguardian.com

Queensland at a glance: premier flags ‘big announcement’ over DNA test issues

This week’s Queensland news in brief: action over forensics lab, discrimination law slammed
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

'Fri 3 Jun 2022 12.52 AEST'

'Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has hinted at “a very big announcement” about the government’s forensic lab, after widespread concerns were raised about the facility.

Revelations of DNA-testing problems at the state-run forensics lab have prompted police to review sexual assault cases dating back to 2018 and Palaszczuk says “it changes everything”.

“In light of all those new revelations, I think you’ll see a very big announcement on Monday,” Palaszczuk said on Friday.'
 
BFew said:
QLD Government wanting to get ahead of the Sky News Shandee's Story special on Tuesday night (8pm AEST).

www.theguardian.com

Queensland at a glance: premier flags ‘big announcement’ over DNA test issues

This week’s Queensland news in brief: action over forensics lab, discrimination law slammed
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

'Fri 3 Jun 2022 12.52 AEST'

'Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has hinted at “a very big announcement” about the government’s forensic lab, after widespread concerns were raised about the facility.

Revelations of DNA-testing problems at the state-run forensics lab have prompted police to review sexual assault cases dating back to 2018 and Palaszczuk says “it changes everything”.

“In light of all those new revelations, I think you’ll see a very big announcement on Monday,” Palaszczuk said on Friday.'
Click to expand...
About time.
 
The thing that gets me with this is not the fact they had higher levels of testing than NSW, it is that they weren't getting profiles from Shandee's blood or from the John Peros' car in their first round of testing. That either means that the equipment/software isn't working or the testing procedures are wrong.

I am not sure if when a lab technician gets a sample if they are told what the sample is or whether they would expect to get DNA from the sample. If you don't know what your expectations are when examining a sample, then you may not know that not finding DNA is wrong, however this may depend on the experience of the person testing.
 
FTY1 said:
The thing that gets me with this is not the fact they had higher levels of testing than NSW, it is that they weren't getting profiles from Shandee's blood or from the John Peros' car in their first round of testing. That either means that the equipment/software isn't working or the testing procedures are wrong.

I am not sure if when a lab technician gets a sample if they are told what the sample is or whether they would expect to get DNA from the sample. If you don't know what your expectations are when examining a sample, then you may not know that not finding DNA is wrong, however this may depend on the experience of the person testing.
Click to expand...
No, labs aren't advised what samples are when they are delivered, just the analyses requested.
 
I tell you what Hedley Thomas would want to be certain that both Chris Dawson and John Peros are guilty because his "investigative research" is leaving him wiiiiide open for an absolute legal shitfight soon.

Whilst Hedley has uncovered something's let's not forget he is a clickbait journo. Personally I can't see either of JP or CD ending up with a conviction based on what we know
 
craffles said:
I tell you what Hedley Thomas would want to be certain that both Chris Dawson and John Peros are guilty because his "investigative research" is leaving him wiiiiide open for an absolute legal shitfight soon.
Click to expand...

Hedley has the might of News Corp and the blessing of it's Murdoch family controllers behind him.
Legal action taken related to his podcasts or media interviews/comments will be against his media employer, not him personally.

Australian media organisations have frequently shown that they are not always afraid to risk company/shareholders $$$ and reputations in producing things that might result in defamation cases. They probably have budget and contingency for this, as part of their financial forecasts.

More like any legal action leading him and his media employer (even if he is not an 'employee' of theirs) wide open to getting even more readers, listeners and viewers, of their past, present and future, true crime stuff, from any defamation legal action publicity.

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'‘I was staggered’: Untold horror of Shandee’s frenzied murder revealed'​

'June 1, 2022 - 12:01PM'

'“It’s frustrating that I can’t get to all these cases,” the double Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist tells The Binge Guide. “I write back to everybody saying, ‘Look, I’m interested [in helping]. I have a file of these cases that I’m hoping to revisit but for the time being, I can’t.’”

It was among those requests that Thomas first came across the story of Shandee Blackburn'

'After six months of research, Thomas launched Shandee’s Story, a serial podcast for The Australian that has already chalked up four million downloads.'

'While he can’t find answers for every family, Thomas takes comfort in knowing that true-crime podcasts, documentaries and even drama series create awareness.

These stories are also reframing the narrative for Blackburn and Janine Vaughan (whose disappearance Thomas investigated in his podcast The Night Driver) so these women become the centre of their own stories and not just anonymous victims.

He also wishes more journalists would follow his lead with cold-case investigations.'

'“With this long-form [reporting], I know the material and the witnesses and the experts who come out of the woodwork and shed light on things that they’ve heard in these episodes can make an enormous difference,” he says.

“And I’m really hopeful that in Shandee’s Story, we will crack the case.”'
 
BFew said:
Hedley has the might of News Corp and the blessing of it's Murdoch family controllers behind him.
Legal action taken related to his podcasts or media interviews/comments will be against his media employer, not him personally.

Australian media organisations have frequently shown that they are not always afraid to risk company/shareholders $$$ and reputations in producing things that might result in defamation cases. They probably have budget and contingency for this, as part of their financial forecasts.

More like any legal action leading him and his media employer (even if he is not an 'employee' of theirs) wide open to getting even more readers, listeners and viewers, of their past, present and future, true crime stuff, from any defamation legal action publicity.

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

No Cookies
www.dailytelegraph.com.au www.dailytelegraph.com.au

'‘I was staggered’: Untold horror of Shandee’s frenzied murder revealed'​

'June 1, 2022 - 12:01PM'

'“It’s frustrating that I can’t get to all these cases,” the double Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist tells The Binge Guide. “I write back to everybody saying, ‘Look, I’m interested [in helping]. I have a file of these cases that I’m hoping to revisit but for the time being, I can’t.’”

It was among those requests that Thomas first came across the story of Shandee Blackburn'

'After six months of research, Thomas launched Shandee’s Story, a serial podcast for The Australian that has already chalked up four million downloads.'

'While he can’t find answers for every family, Thomas takes comfort in knowing that true-crime podcasts, documentaries and even drama series create awareness.

These stories are also reframing the narrative for Blackburn and Janine Vaughan (whose disappearance Thomas investigated in his podcast The Night Driver) so these women become the centre of their own stories and not just anonymous victims.

He also wishes more journalists would follow his lead with cold-case investigations.'

'“With this long-form [reporting], I know the material and the witnesses and the experts who come out of the woodwork and shed light on things that they’ve heard in these episodes can make an enormous difference,” he says.

“And I’m really hopeful that in Shandee’s Story, we will crack the case.”'
Click to expand...

Good reply and spot on really
 

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craffles said:
I tell you what Hedley Thomas would want to be certain that both Chris Dawson and John Peros are guilty because his "investigative research" is leaving him wiiiiide open for an absolute legal shitfight soon.

Whilst Hedley has uncovered something's let's not forget he is a clickbait journo. Personally I can't see either of JP or CD ending up with a conviction based on what we know
Click to expand...

Quoting from post #1, Thomas is probably OK:

"Handing down the findings of the inquest, Coroner O'Connell said there was 'no doubt' in his mind that Mr Peros had been the one to attack Ms Blackburn and cause her injuries."
 
FTY1 said:
The thing that gets me with this is not the fact they had higher levels of testing than NSW, it is that they weren't getting profiles from Shandee's blood or from the John Peros' car in their first round of testing. That either means that the equipment/software isn't working or the testing procedures are wrong.

I am not sure if when a lab technician gets a sample if they are told what the sample is or whether they would expect to get DNA from the sample. If you don't know what your expectations are when examining a sample, then you may not know that not finding DNA is wrong, however this may depend on the experience of the person testing.
Click to expand...
As I wrote in a previous post, it is the lack of the use of standards to ensure that the instruments and methods are performing within an acceptable range that is the issue. Also, analyses are also best run blinded (when possible) to help reduce unconscious bias. These are the fundamentals of sound and reproducible scientific analyses. As you say, the technicians were running the samples and just reported the results up the chain.
 
So was Mr Phillips witness evidence ruled inadmissible at Mr Peros's Shandee Blackburn murder trial, or just never sought to be used by the prosecution. Possibly on the basis that they were 100% sure it would be ruled as inadmissible, or would not add any meaningful value to the prosecution's case?

Shandee’s roomie told police about ‘threatening’ calls by former boyfriend​

'ISAAC IRONS​

RESEARCHER AND REPORTER
authors
5:35PM JUNE 5, 2022'

'The former roommate of murdered Mackay woman Shandee Blackburn was “100 per cent” willing to take the witness stand at her former boyfriend’s murder trial but was not called despite telling police he overheard abusive rows between the former lovers.

Steve Phillips believes voice recorded messages sent to Blackburn by her former boyfriend John Peros would be strong evidence of an abusive relationship if police were able to recover them from Blackburn’s iPhone.

Mr Phillips said he overheard the messages when he lived with Blackburn on the Gold Coast, adding the walls of their flat were “paper thin” and Blackburn played the messages out loud on her iPhone speaker.'

“It was quite threatening, full volume, swearing,” Mr Phillips said. “I’ve never experienced that in my life or seen that before.”

The voice messages, sent on the messaging app HeyTell, were unable to be recovered by police when they downloaded the contents of Blackburn’s iPhone in 2013.

Mr Phillips’ evidence was not heard by the jurors who acquitted Mr Peros of murder at a 2017 Supreme Court trial.
...
“I had no idea. At the time I gave them my statement thinking they had everything,” Mr Phillips said.

“I don’t know what they’ve done with it or why it didn’t go to court,” he said. “I remember being interviewed by police here in Auckland and I said, ‘If you can get those messages, you will get a conviction’.”
...
Mr Phillips will appear on Shandee’s Story: The Search for Justice, a Sky News Australia documentary premiering at 8pm (AEST) on Tuesday that is re-examining the murder cold case.
...'

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Now waiting for the actual wording of the terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry, when/if they have been locked in, or even proposed in draft for public release and consultation (maybe).


'1 HOUR AGO

Commission of Inquiry launched into Qld lab​

LYDIA LYNCH

Queensland’s unusually high threshold for testing DNA has been abandoned as Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a commission of inquiry into the state's troubled forensic laboratory.

Former court of appeal president Walter Sofronoff will head the inquiry, with terms of reference to be finalised this week.

Last week The Australian revealed police had begun reviewing hundreds of rape cases back to 2018 after discovering DNA profiles could be generated in up to 66 per cent of samples that the lab initially claimed had “insufficient DNA for further processing”.

To progress to DNA profiling, the lab requires crime scene samples to have the equivalent of at least 22 cells to be fully tested, which is double the number of cells required in NSW.

The lab has not tested below this threshold since 2018, believing the chance of finding new DNA from these samples was 1.86 per cent.

Ms Palaszczuk said Queenslanders must have confidence in the reliability of results coming out of the lab, adding the new information from police had “elevated the seriousness of those concerns, prompting the need for the Commission of Inquiry”.

The commission will examine the number of cases and date range that will be examined.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the thresholds would be abandoned while the six-month commission of inquiry was underway.

Problems in the lab were first exposed in the Australian’s investigative podcast Shandee’s Story.'
 
BFew said:
Now waiting for the actual wording of the terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry, when/if they have been locked in, or even proposed in draft for public release and consultation (maybe).
Click to expand...

Terms of reference to be finalised and released this week.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Qld premier confirms inquiry into state-run forensic lab

There will be an inquiry into the state-run forensics laboratory after potential problems with evidence were highlighted and police began reviewing hundreds of sexual assault cases.
www.brisbanetimes.com.au www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Qld premier confirms inquiry into state-run forensic lab​

Cloe Read​

June 6, 2022 — 12.47pm

'Palaszczuk said the commission of inquiry would be funded by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and would be headed by outgoing Court of Appeal president and Supreme Court judge Walter Sofronoff.
Sofronoff is a former Queensland solicitor general and headed the commission of inquiry into the Grantham floods.'

“He will do this to the best of his ability. He will, of course, understand that there are victims of sexual assault, it will be handled in a sensitive manner.”

The terms of reference for the inquiry would be finalised with Sofronoff over coming days and released this week, Palaszczuk said.

The inquiry will examine all aspects and operations of the laboratory, which analysed about 28,000 samples a year.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said while the review was under way, the testing threshold that had been in place at the laboratory since 2018 would be removed immediately to ensure every sample went to DNA profiling and then potentially tested further.'
 
Latest podcast discusses the probable lab issues and initial denials. Hedley said that the lab staff should have known that there were issues with the results, but they would have been doing the analyses blinded. It is a management issue with the instruments not seemingly calibrated and with those analysing the results after unblinding. If you analyse fresh blood, you should find dna; otherwise it should be a red flag. Also there seems to have been no benchmarking to other jurisdictions/research labs. Also, these type of analyses have been getting more sensitive over the last 10 years not the other way.
 
MSB ROYS said:
there seems to have been no benchmarking to other jurisdictions/research labs.
Click to expand...
Warning: Beautiful one day, perfect the next only applies to the Queensland Weather.

When it comes to QLD Health, their DNA Labs, and their political and bureaucrat oversee'ers/masters, the past, present and future Justice weather outlook looks pretty shitty from South of the border (NSW).

 
This will be a huge crime story in the media this week.

Chickens coming home to roost.

'Shandee’s Story: Bombshell findings on Queensland lab to land on Annastacia Palaszczuk’s desk'​

'13 MINUTES AGO SEPTEMBER 18, 2022'​

Annastacia Palaszczuk will be handed “damning” interim findings on Monday from a public inquiry investigating alleged negligence at Queensland’s forensics crime lab that may affect thousands of unsolved cases.

The royal commission-style inquiry is investigating whether there have been failings in the testing of DNA evidence at the state government-run lab
.....
While commissioner Walter Sofronoff KC has not revealed the contents of his report, government sources have described it as “damning” with the potential for “widespread implications” on the state’s criminal justice system.

Monday’s interim report is expected to focus on a 2018 decision by the health department’s lab to downgrade its procedures for testing samples from major crime such as murders and rapes, resulting in an unknown number of samples not being fully tested.

The reasons for the change in procedure are unknown, but the inquiry is investigating the culture at the lab and whether it was adequately funded and resourced.

Well-placed sources have told The Australian that “thousands” of criminal cases could potentially be affected if DNA had routinely gone undetected.

Under his sweeping powers as commissioner, Mr Sofronoff has already compelled 36 witness statements and obtained 60,000 documents, which have influenced the interim findings.
.....
Alarming results from a review, quietly undertaken by Queensland Police late last year, discovered DNA profiles could be generated in up to 66 per cent of samples the lab initially claimed had “insufficient DNA for further processing”.

In its opening hearing last month, the inquiry was told samples with low levels of DNA were not being routinely tested even though it was “possible to extract either a full or partial profile”.
.....
Queensland’s lab demands that to progress to DNA profiling, crime scene samples require the equivalent of at least 22 cells. However, fewer than 10 cells can often produce a DNA profile, and in NSW the detection limit is 11 cells.

If the minimum amount of DNA is not met in the first two testing stages, the lab does not send samples on for profiling in the final two stages. Scientists then report “insufficient DNA” or “no DNA detected“ to police and in their formal witness statements.

In 2021, the lab reported 583 samples relating to sex offences to police as “insufficient DNA for further processing”.

In a confidential document sent to key parties ahead of the interim findings, Mr Sofronoff asked stakeholders in the criminal justice system to comment on “whether the commission ought to make a recommendation to the effect that the statements of witnesses issued since 2018” (relating to the claims about insufficient DNA) should “be withdrawn”.

In this scenario, a police taskforce would be stood up to determine the number of victims who may have been denied justice because DNA samples in their cases were never fully tested.

The lab’s performance in testing forensic evidence from the brutal stabbing murder of Shandee Blackburn, 23, in Mackay in 2013 will also be examined as part of the inquiry.
.....
Public hearings begin next Monday.
 
BFew said:
Public hearings begin next Monday.
Click to expand...
Next week on Monday. Not today.
According to the link to view the livestream of the hearing.

There is discussion of the Shandee Blackburn case , in the inquiries 26 August, 2022 directions hearing transcript (14 pages pdf) & recording (mp3) linked below.

The Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing in Queensland

www.dnainquiry.qld.gov.au www.dnainquiry.qld.gov.au

Livestream | The Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing in Queensland

www.dnainquiry.qld.gov.au www.dnainquiry.qld.gov.au
'This event is scheduled for September 26 at 9:30am'

Hearing transcripts | The Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing in Queensland

www.dnainquiry.qld.gov.au www.dnainquiry.qld.gov.au

'MR HODGE: ... The first issue of public concern was in relation to the DNA evidence that was used in the investigation of the murder of Shandee Blackburn in Mackay in February 2013. This issue had come to public attention last year as part of Hedley Thomas's podcast, published by The Australian. Mr Thomas had interviewed Dr Kirsty Wright, who raised questions about the processing of DNA samples by the Queensland lab in that particular case.'
.....
'The second topic I want to speak about briefly is another very important topic for the Commission to consider, and that is the handling of DNA evidence in relation to the investigation of the murder of Shandee Blackburn. Ms Blackburn was 23 years old when she was killed not far from her home in Mackay in February of 2013. She was walking home after finishing work late at night. There were no eyewitnesses who could identify her killer and the forensic investigation of the scene and other sites yielded little to police to assist them in building a case against any individual.

Ultimately, in 2017 a man was tried for and acquitted of her murder. There was no DNA evidence that linked him to the murder of Ms Blackburn.

There was a subsequent coronial investigation in 2020, and in February of this year the central coroner announced that the inquest will be reopened. We are, and will remain, conscious of the need to be careful and how any public scrutiny in this inquiry might affect or overlap with other processes that are ongoing. But as I mentioned earlier, since November last year there has been considerable public interest about this case due to the podcasted reporting of Mr Thomas, and Mr Thomas's work, with the assistance of Dr Wright, has raised some questions as to the results obtained by the lab from samples collected in that investigation and the possible reasons, relating to the functioning of the lab in 2013, for the results.'

' MR HODGE: ... Now, those questions may or may not give rise to a reason to doubt the accuracy of the results from DNA testing in that case or the adequacy of the process or processes that were in place in 2013, but we identify this as a topic we are investigating and note that it may regrettably be the case that, given the passage of time, it is no longer possible to either confirm or dispel all of the suspicions that have been raised about the DNA testing in 2013. At present, we anticipate that this will also constitute the subject matter of a short module.'
....
 

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Current The Murder of Shandee Blackburn - McKay *New investigative podcast by Hedley Thomas

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