1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: So David Tarmaheedda has finally got what he's been fighting 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: for for decades. The Supreme Court has today quashed his 3 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: convictions for murdering the two Swedish backpackers all those years 4 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: ago and has ordered a retrial. Now this doesn't mean 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: that a retrial will necessarily happen. That's up to the 6 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 1: Crown to decide whether it wants to press the charges again. 7 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: In a nutshell, what this comes down to is the 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: jail house snitch who claimed that Tamahader, remember that Conchie Harris, 9 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: who claimed that Tamahader had confessed the murders to him 10 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: two years ago. The Court of Appeal said that that 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: evidence could not be relied on and so it was 12 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: a miscarriage of justice to find Tarmaheada guilty. But the 13 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: Court of Appeal decided he was still guilty anyway because 14 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: of new evidence. Now the Supreme Court has today ruled 15 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: that it is not the Court of Appeal's place to 16 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: do that. A jury has to do that, hence the decision. 17 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: So we will see. But there is actually more at 18 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: stake here than just Tarmaherd's guilty or otherwise. There is 19 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: a question that clearly has to now be asked about 20 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: what the heck is going on that so many convictions 21 00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: from the eighties and nineties are being overturned or quaeshed 22 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: in this country. David Bain, Alan Hall who spent nineteen 23 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: years in jail for a murder he didn't commit. Gail 24 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: Maini Stephen Stone that was overturned a couple of years ago, 25 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: tanea Porter twenty one years in the slammer for a 26 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: murder he didn't commit, Peter Allis convictions quashed four years ago, 27 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: and it goes on. There are all up. Get a 28 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: load of this eight hundred and ninety three convictions that 29 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: have now been overturned in just the space of ten years. Now. 30 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: Obviously not all of those will relate to the eighties 31 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: and nineties, but given given that it's happened in the 32 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: last ten or so years, a lot of them will. 33 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: And it's starting to seem that that is a period 34 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: that we need to ask some tough questions about. But 35 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: it is becoming clear that there is a theme here. 36 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: We had a problem back then of false confessions being 37 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: relied on, relying on unreliable witnesses like jailhouse snitches, relying 38 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: on some pretty shoddy police work and some really bloody 39 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: questionable work from lawyers, some of whom were clearly prepared 40 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: to bend the rules just to get people in jail. Now, 41 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: that may have seemed smart at the time, and the 42 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: public may not have cared, but it isn't smart now. 43 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: We are going to be limped with the compensation bill 44 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: as a result of what happened, and watch this case, 45 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: by the way, for the compensation bill, because that may 46 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: well come next. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, 47 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,239 Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks a B from four pm weekdays, 48 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.