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Date Posted: 19:15:27 09/05/02 Thu
Author: Saville Inquiry
Subject: "Worthless evidence"

The Saville Inquiry

1972 forensic evidence ‘worthless’ says expert

AN EXPERT witness employed by the Saville Inquiry has branded 1972 forensic evidence – which suggested some of the dead could have been handling firearms –as “worthless”.

Dr. John Lloyd, and expert in firearms and explosives residues, said the evidence could not be relied on to determine if any of the deceased had discharged a firearm.

His evidence followed a testimony on Tuesday by retired forensic scientist Dr. john Martin, who accepted that the findings he presented to the 1972 Widgery tribunal could have been flawed due to contamination evidence.

In 1972 Lord Chief Justice Widgery concluded there was strong evidence that some of the Bloody Sunday dead had handled or been near someone who had handled a firearm.

He based this on Dr. Martin’s analysis of testing for lead particles on the bodies and clothes of seven of the deceased.

In a report to the Saville tribunal – based on the 1972 evidence –Dr. Lloyd said that while led particles had been found, they could have come from a variety of sources.

He said a lot of bullets had been fired and fragmented and suggested that if a body fell on an area where bullets fragmented, the particles could have come from that source.

The handling of bodies by soldiers, both in the Bogside and the mortuary, and the transport of three bodies in a military vehicle could also have been a source of lead particles, the tribunal was told.

Dr. Martin said the 1972 tests were nullified by an apparent lack of control testing – which would have considered the possibility of contamination from other sources.

He concluded: “Whether or not any of the deceased many have discharged a firearm is not determinable either on the results recorded in the laboratory notes or samples.

“In my view, as evidence of the event, the results are worthless”.

Questioned by Christopher Clarke QC, Dr. Lloyd said he also believed that the 1971 results were incompatible with the belief that the deceased had been standing close to someone who had fired a weapon. He said this was due to the manner of distribution of the particles on clothing.

The inquiry continues at Derry’s Guildhall this morning, when former IRA hunger striker Raymond McCartney will give evidence.

From October Fifth Assoc. (Derry) oct5th_vets68@hotmail.com
Primary source: Irish News, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002 – report by Seamus McKinney

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