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Thought this may interest some of you. We
often talk about reconciliation, but I wonder how much can be reconciled while
this sort of thing is still going on.
Don
Reprinted from Djadi-Dugarang, Newsletter of the
Indigenous Social Justice Association Inc.
Justice for Letty Scott Forensic
Campaign
Ray Jackson
Readers of Djadi-Dugarang will recognise the name
of Letty Scott and her 15 year fight for justice to have the murderers of her
husband to face the Courts and be dealt with.
For readers who may not know the history of the
case, it is basically this. The then-husband of Letty Scott was found
hanged in Darwin's Berrimah Gaol on 5 July 1985. He was a Murri man having
been born in Queensland, Letty is an Anmatyerre woman from the Northern
Territory. He was gaoled and held illegally for 60 days for swearing, and
kept in solitary confinement. He was badly beaten and died in Berrimah
Gaol. The death, especially the underlying circumstances of the death has
remained questionable. For 15 years Letty and her Family and Supporters
have sought justice.
In Djadi-Dugarang Volume 2 #11, February 2000 I
wrote of her campaign to the USA whereby she was given succour by the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the tribal owners of the Foxwoods Casino, the
richest gambling emporium in the world. The tribe uses the money for good
causes - one of them being Letty. They financed her stay in the US for
four months and paid all travel expenses to Europe and elsewhere to pursue every
judicial remedy available.
One positive remedy available was for the Tribal
Nation in the form of Michael Thomas, Tribal Councilman and A Searle Field,
Chief of Strategic Planning and Enterprise Development to have a top level
Forensic Investigative Committee, both within the US and England, to look at the
Death Investigation Documents including photographs, witness statements, press
releases, pathologist/autopsy reports, transcripts, other photographic evidence,
among other important data.
The upshot of this was an agreement to draft an
Interim Report that raises serious questions as to the manner of the
death. Some of their preliminary statements are as follows:
* Dr. Michael M Baden, "It is my opinion, on the
basis of the materials that I have reviewed, that Mr. Scott died as a result of
his inability to breathe caused by compression of the neck. The fracture of the
thyroid cartilage is much more typical for compression of the neck by baton,
hands or feet than by suicidal hanging." Dr. Baden also questioned the
time of death since Dr. Kevin Lee noted lividity in the lower extremities at
7:25 am. This is inconsistent with the bed check time of 4:30. "It
takes many hours for such lividity to develop and, in my experience, the
prominence of Mr. Scott's lividity indicates that he had been dead and hanging
before the alleged 4:30 am cell check."
* Dr. Peter Dean, "Old scars on the wrists, from whatever cause, can not safely be relied upon as evidence of current suicidal intent." * Cyril H Wecht, M.D., J.D.: "In light of these finding, which are
individually and collectively somewhat atypical in suicidal hangings, I believe
there is a reasonable and logical basis to legitimately question the official
ruling in this case that the manner of death was suicidal. If I were
confronted with this case in my current position as Coroner of Allegheny County,
I would want to have further investigation conducted by my office and homicide
detectives."
* Dr. Lee made an oral presentation that questioned the fracture of the
thyroid cartilage and the bruising on Mr. Scott's neck. This is apparently
inconsistent with hanging with a soft sheet which typically does not result in
damage to the thyroid cartilage since the pressure from the sheet is
uniform. On the other hand, a hand or baton would a more typical result in
this sort of damage."
The four forensic pathologists will draft a preliminary report that will state that there is sufficient basis to question the manner of death and will recommend that further investigation occur. These men are all well respected in their respective jurisdictions and their CV will amply support their conclusions. They stated their willingness to go to Australia to conduct the autopsy. We expect the preliminary report within the next couple of weeks although they did not commit to a firm date. This Interim Report runs to a further 20 pages,
plus 12 pages of photographs setting out in greater detail the problems they
have recognized. The Team is willing to travel to Australia, to have the
body exhumed and to do a totally independent review on the proper cause of
death. Call me biased if you will, but I know what they will find.
That he was murdered, whether accidentally or otherwise, by the custodial
officers who assaulted him in Berrimah Gaol. The suicide fiasco, whereby
he was 'hung" twice, at the instigation of Darwin Police, will also be
proved. But we must have an independent inquiry.
Letty has returned to Australia and in the process
of faxing this information to me, she and another were arrested by the Bribie
Island Police at the direct instigation of the Darwin Police. They could
not be held, so were let go. This is only a very, very small example of
the Darwin police harassment, including other police forces, that has been
perpetrated on Letty and her Family since 1985.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has agreed to
meet half of all further costs of bringing the Investigative Forensic Team to
Australia to do their work. It is up to us here in Australia to raise the
other half of the costs. We are talking possibly tens of thousands of
dollars, but whatever the cost, justice must always be paid for. More so
when we need to turn the legal and judicial Establishment on its collective
(boof) head. Letty has endorsed myself and others to form the Justice for
Letty Scott Forensic Campaign to raise the required money. We intend to
write to all groups possible, to hold fundraisers, public meetings, etc.
Anything and everything to raise the required funds. Please contact me if
you wish to become involved, in whatever way you can.
This is an edited plea from Letty Scott and her
Family for donations of cash for secret accommodation. The fear is that
great, and that real. Even $5 per week will assist (RJ)
We are an innocent family that has been fighting
for justice for 15 years. My husband Douglas was unlawfully remanded
without bail for 60 days on the charge of alleged obscene language to Darwin
Prison, Northern Territory. Eyewitnesses have come forward to testify that
they saw four prison officers (armed with batons) enter the cell of Douglas
Bruce Scott in the early hors of 5 July 1985. That morning he was found
hanging in his cell and the prison officers forced the eyewitnesses to clean
Doug's blood from the floors, walls, in the toilet, and around the toilet, and
on the mattress. They say the saw blood running from Doug's mouth and his
black eye whilst he was hanging up. From evidence given, my family
believes that Douglas was murdered, and that his murder was subsequently covered
up by the Australian authorities.
I have addressed the United Nations Sub Commission
for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, on 19 August 1999, placing a
demand upon the Government of Australia to bring these killers to justice.
This places our family, which has come to include those who are keeping us in
this fight for justice, in serious, real danger. We are the innocent
family, who are victims of terrible crime. We cannot stay in our homes
and, through necessity, we are constantly on the run with our children. We
have no safe place to go because there has been no justice and we have suffered
enough. We deserve to live in peace and security regardless of the colour
of our skin.
We are not asking to live in your home, because we
do not wish to place you in danger. But we need real help. We are
appealing to your heart and the hearts of people around the world who value the
sacredness of human life. A weekly direct deposit of whatever you feel you
can give into my account will help us in a real way for the struggle for
justice. Your bank will be able to organize a weekly automatic electronic
fund transfer to my account if you so desire.
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