The Wrongful Conviction of Steven Truscott
It was the evening of June 9, 1959 when 14-year-old Steven Truscott had been seen giving 12-year-old classmate, Lynne Harper, a ride on the handlebars of his bike (Makin, 2016). The two separated at the intersection of County Road and Highway 8 (Harland-Logan, n.d.), only for Harper’s father to report his daughter missing shortly after (Harland-Logan, n.d.). Her body was found near a wooded area called Lawson’s Bush on June 11, 1959 (Makin, 2016), and she had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death (Harland-Logan, n.d.). Four days later, Steven Truscott was charged with the murder of Lynne Harper (Harland-Logan, n.d.).
The Trial
Accusations of Mr. Truscott
Following the murder of Lynne Harper, …show more content…
Firstly, the defence counsel and jury were not provided crucial information that may have altered the outcome of the trial. Had they had access to the two unofficial autopsy documents, the defence could have argued about whether Truscott committed the crime, due to the assumed time of death of the victim.
Additionally, the Crown failed to recognize Dr. Penistan’s description of his findings as an “agonizing reappraisal”. If the Crown had revealed this information, Truscott could possibly have been released earlier. Since this case, the Supreme Court of Canada has created strict regulations that the Crown must always disclose any relevant documents to the defence (Harland-Logan, n.d.), and this would likely reduce the rate of miscarriages of justice.
An important factor of the wrongful conviction was the lack of scientific knowledge at the time of Truscott’s conviction, which led to false conclusions about the murder. Truscott was originally sentenced to death; AIDWYC does not support death sentences (Harland-Logan, n.d) because future scientific advancements could always help prove the accused
It was the evening of June 9, 1959 when 14-year-old Steven Truscott had been seen giving 12-year-old classmate, Lynne Harper, a ride on the handlebars of his bike (Makin, 2016). The two separated at the intersection of County Road and Highway 8 (Harland-Logan, n.d.), only for Harper’s father to report his daughter missing shortly after (Harland-Logan, n.d.). Her body was found near a wooded area called Lawson’s Bush on June 11, 1959 (Makin, 2016), and she had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death (Harland-Logan, n.d.). Four days later, Steven Truscott was charged with the murder of Lynne Harper (Harland-Logan, n.d.).
The Trial
Accusations of Mr. Truscott
Following the murder of Lynne Harper, …show more content…
Firstly, the defence counsel and jury were not provided crucial information that may have altered the outcome of the trial. Had they had access to the two unofficial autopsy documents, the defence could have argued about whether Truscott committed the crime, due to the assumed time of death of the victim.
Additionally, the Crown failed to recognize Dr. Penistan’s description of his findings as an “agonizing reappraisal”. If the Crown had revealed this information, Truscott could possibly have been released earlier. Since this case, the Supreme Court of Canada has created strict regulations that the Crown must always disclose any relevant documents to the defence (Harland-Logan, n.d.), and this would likely reduce the rate of miscarriages of justice.
An important factor of the wrongful conviction was the lack of scientific knowledge at the time of Truscott’s conviction, which led to false conclusions about the murder. Truscott was originally sentenced to death; AIDWYC does not support death sentences (Harland-Logan, n.d) because future scientific advancements could always help prove the accused