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Vicky Calder - Second trial
The second trial finished three weeks earlier than the first. This time the Crown did have CEV tests done in Sweden which showed Lloyd’s blood CEV levels were 860 times higher than a control group of the general population, but the defence argued the sample could have been contaminated during its years in storage.
There were earlier suggestions that to demonstrate the symptoms that Lloyd suffered, a ‘top up acrylamide dose would have to be administered. Evidence was produced that Calder did have the opportunity. On the night Lloyd was admitted to hospital, she asked to be left alone with him and when a doctor returned she was giving him a glass of water.
The Defence produced two overseas witness who had actual experience with acrylamide victims who produced checklists of how Lloyd’s symptoms did not match the victims they had observed, although during the Crown’s cross examination their position was weakened. The jury listened to a lot of other evidence over the seven weeks and at its conclusion were advised by Justice Tipping to exercise extreme caution ‘as they picked their way through a maze of conflicting facts and dissenting opinions’.
After deliberating for nine hours the jury found Calder not guilty.
In No Verdict, John Goulter says an estimated $2M was spent investigating, prosecuting and defending the case. The legal aid bill was estimated at $700,000 making it the highest yet paid in New Zealand for an individual accused.
For further reading, No Verdict, New Zealand’s Hung Jury Crisis is recommended. It was published in 1997 by Random House New Zealand Limited, 18 Poland Road, Glenfield, Auckland.
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