Innocence Project director and Griffith University lecturer Lynne Weathered, said they revealed serious questions about the DNA evidence used by the prosecution in the case against Shane Davis, who continues to serve a life sentence for the murder of a South African tourist.
“When Shane Davis was convicted, DNA was in its infancy – there have since been major developments in the technology,” Ms Weathered said.
“This is a major break through and a crucial precedent setting case for the legal community,” she said.
The Innocence Project, co-founded by Nyst Lawyers and Griffith University, is run by Griffith Law School with students contributing to the case load under the direction of lecturers and Nyst Lawyers.
The request for re-testing was supported by the Innocence Project’s advisory board which includes former High Court Justice Mary Gaudron and former Director of Public Prosecutions Royce Miller.
It follows the decision last month by the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions Jeremy Rapke, QC who ordered a review of all DNA cases over the past five years because of doubts about DNA tests. Victorian man Farah Jama, 22, was freed on December 8 after being wrongfully convicted and spending 16 months in a maximum security prison.
For more on the Innocence Project see: http://www.griffith.edu.au/law/innocence-project
