Why is it that some people are convicted of murders that they did not commit, while others are not convicted of murders that they did commit? Australian Police Services are generally well funded, so something more must be involved. Just what that is, is investigated in this book. To minimise the prospect of future errors, we need both to scrutinise past cases where errors have been revealed, and to investigate police training procedures with a view to uncovering any errors of omission or commission, to see what scope there is for improvements. Each of us has good reason to take an interest in such matters, since any one of us could be a victim if we are in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact all of us are victims to the extent that some guilty parties continue to walk free on our streets, and as taxpayers all of us fund the additional costs of dealing with crime, including the sizeable compensation payments that are made to those whose wrongful convictions are quashed. This book deals with instructive cases which continue to agitate the public mind, and makes practical suggestions for improved procedures.

Betty Shanks was brutally murdered 70 years ago. This book’s third edition reveals Betty’s secret life as documented in an ASIO file, which states that: - Betty was in an ‘intimate association’ with a young married man who was a member of the Communist Party of Australia. - Betty’s best friend from schooldays at Brisbane Girls Grammar School and at the University of Queensland, Winifred Cowin, worked for ASIO before committing suicide in 1958. - An ASIO officer arrived in Brisbane on Sunday 21 September 1952 to recruit Betty, only to be told that she had been murdered the previous Friday night. Ted Duhs alleges that Betty was killed by a man she met at the Grange tram terminus as she returned home from a night class at Brisbane’s Central Tech. This man, referred to as ‘the man in the brown suit’, was seen by four witnesses, including Marie Patton who is still alive. Minutes before Betty was attacked, Marie saw him 30 yards from the murder scene. Evidence suggests he was Eric Sterry. His daughter, Desche, is still alive, and in 1999 her story “My Dad Killed Betty Shanks” was published in The Courier Mail, after her earlier attempts to persuade the police were unsuccessful.

Tina Thomas would have been turning 35 on the day that her husband of less than two weeks stood trial for her murder in the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama, US. Eight years and almost four months had passed since Tina died on her honeymoon, while scuba diving near the SS Yongala wreck on the Great Barrier Reef in Northern Queensland, Australia. During this period, there had been extensive police investigations conducted by local, state and federal agencies in Queensland and...

The Language of the News investigates and critiques the conventions of language used in newspapers and provides students with a clear introduction to critical linguistics as a tool for analysis. Using contemporary examples from UK, USA and Australian newspapers, this book deals with key themes of representation – from gender and national identity to ‘race’– and looks at how language is used to construct audiences, to persuade, and even to parody. It examines debates in the newspapers themselves about the nature of language including commentary on political correctness, the sensitive use of language and irony as a journalistic weapon. Featuring chapter openings and summaries, activities, and a wealth of examples from contemporary news coverage (including examples from television and radio), The Language of the News broadens the perceptions of the use of language in the news media and is essential reading for students of media and communication, journalism, and English language and linguistics.

Queensland’s oldest cold case has been a mystery for over 60 years. It is widely accepted that the murder of Betty Shanks in 1952 at Wilston ended the age of innocence in Brisbane. Despite an extensive investigation and widespread media coverage over the years no one has ever been charged with the murder; nor has anyone ever been regarded as a prime suspect. Over the years, six men apparently confessed to the murder, but police are reported to have proved that none of them could have done it. This book supplies the answer supported by compelling circumstantial evidence.

Australia’s development, from the most unpromising of beginnings as a British prison in 1788 to the prosperous liberal democracy of the present is as remarkable as is its success as a country of large-scale immigration. Since 1942 it has been a loyal ally of the United States and has demonstrated this loyalty by contributing troops to the war in Vietnam and by being part of the “coalition of the willing” in the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and in operations in Afghanistan. In recent years, it has also been more willing to promote peace and democracy in its Pacific and Asian neighbors. This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Australia covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Australia.

London, 1888, and one-man's brutal campaign of violence has taken the lives of unsuspecting victims, cut the city to the core and carved his name into history. Well, not his name, exactly. Whomever this man was, remains a mystery but there are few people who haven't heard of his nickname: Jack the Ripper. The same is true for those said to have died at his hands. If Polly Nicholls, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly had not fallen to his knife, their names would have been lost to history. Instead, they themselves are as much a part of the folklore as their killer. Then there are those who investigated the crimes: the ordinary men, doing their jobs as best they could, who will always be associated with the failed attempts to catch this monster. But if those crimes had happened today, how would they be investigated and how would the approach differ? There is no doubt, how detectives work has changed dramatically over those 130 years. Although, in many senses, things are very much the same. Solving murders relies on an understanding of people, be that the victims, the witnesses and, most importantly, the killers themselves. In Murder Investigation Team: Jack the Ripper, while journeying through these infamous murders, through meticulous contemporary research, witness statements and reporting, ex-detective Steven Keogh will revisit the crimes that were committed, why these lives were taken, and attempt to discover just who was Jack the Ripper? Applying modern-day investigative approaches to the 19th century investigation, and with ground-breaking insight from one of the UK's leading criminal profilers, Pippa Gregory, join Steven on a gruesome and incredible journey of discovery into one of the most infamous crimes in British history.

Criminal Investigation, Fourth Edition, offers a comprehensive and engaging examination of criminal investigation and the vital role criminal evidence plays in the process. The text focuses on the five critical areas essential to understanding criminal investigations: background and contextual issues, criminal evidence, legal procedures, evidence collection procedures, and forensic science. In this new edition, esteemed author Steven G. Brandl goes beyond a simple how-to on investigative procedures and analyzes modern research and actual investigative cases to demonstrate their importance in the real world of criminal justice. New to the Fourth Edition: New and updated statistical information, research findings, investigative procedures, and legal cases ensure students are learning about the most current research in the field. Several new "From the Case File" chapter introductions and 25 new in-chapter "Case-in-Point" investigative case examples make it easier for students to connect the content to the real world. More than 75 new photos, most of which are case photos from actual investigations, illustrate key concepts to help keep students engaged with the content. New material on documenting evidence via reports provides examples of well-written police reports to help students build better writing skills. New material on social media and evidence from electronic digital devices discusses how to use new technology as a source of information. A stronger focus on terrorism and the use of technology in investigations encourages students to discuss and critically analyze the future of criminal investigations. New sections titled "Mental Mistakes in Criminal Investigations," "Perspectives on the Criminal Investigation Process," and "Qualities and Characteristics of Investigators" offer students tips and advice for conducting successful investigations. New material on touch DNA helps students see the benefits and limitations of scientific evidence gathered from a crime scene. Give your students the SAGE edge! SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning. Learn more at edge.sagepub.com/brandl4e.

In missing and unidentified investigations, an abyss of dissonance seems to exist between law enforcement and the community they serve that all too often creates grating wounds that may never heal. Utilizing Forensic Technologies for Unidentified Human Remains: Death Investigation Resources, Strategies, and Disconnects bridges this abyss.This is th

Looks at the investigative process of five murder cases, including the O.J. Simpson case and the Woodchipper case, detailing how the forensic evidence was used at trial, and how it was used to exonerate or convict the killers.