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30th Aniversary of Azaria Chaberlain's Death

Started by The Magic Pudding, August 17, 2010, 02:23:42 AM

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The Magic Pudding

I just heard an edition of the law report dedicated to the 30th aniversary of the death of Azaria Chamberlain.
Although this is an Australian story, I think it widely known.
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/ ... 100817.mp3


http://www.lindychamberlain.com/content/home
QuoteOn the evening of Sunday, 17 August 1980 Lindy Chamberlain was an innocent, 32 year old mother of two boys, and a girl - Aidan, 6, Reagan, 4, and nine-week-and-four-day-old Azaria. Lindy wanted all of her children to have names with strong meanings, choosing Azaria because the book of baby names she found it in said it meant 'Blessed of God'. It was exactly how she felt finally getting the daughter she had so badly wanted.

The family was staying in the public campground at Ayers Rock (now Uluru). Before the night was over her daughter was to disappear from the tent where she was sleeping. Lindy had seen a dingo coming out of the tent, and when she checked on her daughter, found her gone. There were dingo prints leading into the cold desert night and blood in the tent. But by morning, people who had not been with Lindy comforting her, or searching on that night, were already spreading wild, untrue rumours. Of sacrifice, murder, dingoes not being capable, and of weird behaviour.

There was never a question of the events and evidence on the part of the eyewitnesses â€" none of whom had met the Chamberlains before â€" or the rangers, trackers, and police first on the scene. It was a natural tragedy that the head Ranger had warned his government of some time earlier. The first Coroner's Inquest confirmed that a dingo had killed Azaria. That verdict was later overturned, and Lindy was to spend the next seven years living a nightmare â€" nearly three of them in prison â€" before finally managing to prove her innocence, and receiving complete exoneration â€" a first for Australian justice.

I was 17-18 years old at the time and whole thing made a deep impression.
I saw ordinary people reaching conclusions with no evidence, prejudiced because Lindy Chamberlain seemed a bit odd, and she was of an unusual faith.
Before Lindy went to trial she was found guilty in thousands of lunchrooms, lounge rooms and pubs around the country.

The media helped push it along with suggestions of ritual sacrafice and assorted weirdness.
Many people just didn't want to accept the obvious when such a sensational story was on offer.
Local politicians had reason to smear Lindy, baby eating Dingos aren't good for tourism.

Did those responsible for wrongly separating a mother from her new baby and young children for four years feel any remorse?
I don't think so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_Cham ... -Creighton

The recent case of Madeleine McCann seems to share some aspects of the Chamberlain fiasco.

Tank

I remember all the curfuffle over that case. Trial by media is diabolical.

What aspect of the MaCann case is comparable? Are you referring to the press speculation that as doctors they had drugged Maddie to get her to sleep and that they had got the dose wrong?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

The Magic Pudding

Quote from: "Tank"What aspect of the MaCann case is comparable? Are you referring to the press speculation that as doctors they had drugged Maddie to get her to sleep and that they had got the dose wrong?
I'm no familiar with all the deatails of the MaCann case, I have heard the mother was being blamed by some.
The Lindy Chamberlain Wiki says,
QuoteLindy Chamberlain-Creighton recently came into the spotlight when she spoke publicly about the world famous May 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann and offered to comfort Madeleine's parents.  She claimed that the world-famous case echoed hers and that she would speak to the McCanns if they wished but she added "words don't mean nothing, we all go through things in different ways".

Tank

The MaCanns did come in for some possibly justified criticism for leaving their children alone while they went for dinner, I would never ever do that given the children's age. The parents were adults and made a judgement call and got it wrong, which can happen to anybody. But leaving Maddie alone did not create the person who chose to abduct Maddie who is the real reason for what happened. I can't imagine how many times the parents wish they had not left her alone, to point out they did just seems cruel and entirely unnecessary.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

The Magic Pudding

This is from the a wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappeara ... ine_McCann
QuoteBefore she became a suspect Kate said "The police don't want a murder in Portugal and all the publicity about them not having paedophile laws here, so they're blaming us," and Gerry said "We are being absolutely stitched up.
QuoteDuring the evening of 10 September, Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt, commenting on the analysis of samples returned from the Forensic Science Service, said that "According to police, it shows the presence of Madeleine's body in the boot of the family's hire car five weeks after she disappeared."[69] Shortly afterwards, however, the national director of the Polícia Judiciária, Alípio Ribeiro, cautioned that the tests had not been conclusive and forensic science experts pointed to the dangers of contamination.[70]  Earlier, McGuinness had said that Kate told detectives there was "no way" Madeleine's blood could have been found inside the car, which they had hired some 25 days after the disappearance, and continued to protest her innocence.[9] To enable the McCanns to carry out independent scientific tests, the car was being kept in the garage of tycoon John Geraghty at his villa near Praia da Luz.[71]

Sousa stated that at the end of the investigation the case file would be handed to the public prosecutor.[66] The papers were given to the local prosecutor, José Cunha de Magalhães e Meneses, on 11 September. Meneses decided that there was sufficient evidence to pass the case to a judge, who had the power to approve any charges and also decide, within 10 days, on other actions that could have included placing the McCanns under house arrest in the Algarve, ordering further interrogations and authorising further searches.[72] The judge appointed was Pedro Miguel dos Anjos Frias, Portimão's 'juiz de instrução criminal'.[73][74]

In addition to Meneses, a district prosecutor, Luis Bilro Verão, was appointed on 11 September 2007 to oversee the investigation.[75] On 12 September Attorney General Fernando José Pinto Monteiro said that further police action was necessary after which there could be a reassessment of possible bail conditions for the suspects.[76]