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[This edited version of the report has been prepared by Dr Robert N Moles]

Mallard v The Queen 2005
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On 10 August 2007 Colleen Egan of Perth Now reported “Chemist removed part of report”

She said that a chemist says he removed parts of his report for the Pamela Lawrence murder case because the detective in charge told him they were not relevant. The CCC heard yesterday that retired government scientist Bernard Lynch said he cut his report on evidence testing from eight pages to two pages at the request of Detective Mal Shervill, who is now an assistant commissioner.

Mr Lynch said that while he often culled the number of exhibits in a case because of relevance, he had never before been asked by police to prepare a second report with some items left out. As the principal chemist at the Chem Centre, Mr Lynch tested almost 40 items of clothing and other material as part of the Lawrence murder investigation. Some of that testing involved examining Andrew Mallard’s clothing for salt residue because he was alleged to have washed Mrs Lawrence’s blood out of his clothes in the Swan River. The testing for salt residue was in the long report but not the short one, which was disclosed to the defence. “I can’t recall the exact date that I had the conversation with Detective Sergeant Shervill but I had a conversation with him at the Chemistry Centre,” Mr Lynch testified via video link.

“Sergeant Shervill informed me that the only testing that was relevant to the trial was in relation to the head wounds, the material present in the head wounds, and he asked me for a statement and a report. “I asked him then did that mean that he wanted the statement to include just those particular items that were of interest, and he said yes.”

Mr Lynch said both reports were given to Mr Shervill. He said there were occasions when he got dozens or even hundreds of exhibits and that not all of those were included in reports. Commissioner Dunford: “Can you recall other occasions when you have prepared a report and then been told by the police that certain items are not relevant and to do another report leaving those items out?” Mr Lynch: “No.”  

The inquiry will next hold public hearings on August 20.

Source: 10 August 2007 Colleen Egan Perth Now “Chemist removed part of report”

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