Criminology Unit 3: Crime Scene to Courtroom – Case Studies for use in the Controlled Assessment.
A TOTAL OF 27 CASE STUDIES ARE PRESENT BELOW:
CA CASE STUDIES AND NOTES
UNIT
3
AC’s
1.1 Stephen Lawrence -
2.4 ● The majority (if not all) of the public viewed this as a racial attack - he was murdered on 22nd
April 1993 (he was stabbed to death).
3.2
● Attacked at a bus stop in South-East London, it was an unprovoked attack, five young white
men had murdered him.
● Premeditated, as the boys had practised attacks before in their rooms.
● The case was so widespread that Lawrence's family were visited by Nelson Mandela, who
showed public support, despite them being treated with a lot of injustice.
● 1996 - The parents took out a private prosecution for the case.
● 1997 - The family made a formal complaint of the police and their handling of the case (they
were viewed as an incompetent and uncaring police force).
● Doreen (mother of Stephen) became a baroness from her efforts and campaigning.
● Wasn’t until Jan 2012 (13 years after the inquiry led by Sir William Macpherson concluded)
changes in Crook Justice System led to 1 successful prosecution where ⅖ of the suspects Gary
Dobson and David Norris were convicted for the murder and incarcerated.
● Whole case study is an example of institutional racism and branded metropolitan police as
institutionally racist too.
● The Double Jeopardy law allowed for them to be tried again after being let go the first time in
first trial
● Names of all 5 suspects: Neil and Jaime Acourt, Gary Dobson, David Norris and Luke Knight.
● Almost 3 decades later and the case still hasn't been fully resolved.
Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher -
● Amanda’s background = American who had a normal upbringing and education, middle class,
good social life.
1.1 ● Meredith Kercher = victim
1.3 ● Raffaele Sollecito = Amanda's boyfriend
3.2 ● Nov 2007 - body of Meredith (21 yrs old) was found in her home in Italy (her throat was cut)
● 2 policemen who were not equipped to deal with violent crimes came to the scene, the
crime scene wasn't dealt with properly and closed (it was contaminated) led to evidence
being invalid.
● Amanda (her roommate at the time) was found guilty for this murder.
, ● Knox and her boyfriend and Knox’s boss Patrick Lumumba were all arrested for the murder.
(Pat was released soon after for lack of evidence)
● Oct 2008 - Knox and Sollecito indicted on charges of sexual assault and murder.
● Rudy Herrmann Guede (other suspect for the crime) was also convicted for the murder and
attempted sexual assault of Meredith and was sentenced to 30 yrs prison.
● Dec 2009 - trial begins, Knox and Sollecito were sentenced to prison (Knox = 26 yrs, Sollecito
= 25 yrs).
● Oct 2011 - lack of forensic evidence = Knox and Sollecito sentences overturned by the court;
Knox returns to Washington.
● March 2013 - Italian Supreme Court overturns Knox and Sollecito acquittal.
● Sept 2013 - retrial begins, Knox is represented but remained in Washington.
● Nov 2013 - DNA expert uncovers that the DNA on proposed murder weapon was Knox’s and
not Meredith’s (US forensic experts believed the evidence collected at the scene didn't show
Knox being the killer).
● Jan 2014 - Knox is found guilty and given 28 yrs prison sentence, Sollecito is also given 25 yrs
and his passport was revoked.
● March 2015 - Italy's highest court ends up overturning their guilty convictions, releasing Knox
and Sollecito from the case but Rudy remains in prison.
● Knox overall spent about 4 years in Italian prison.
Sally Clark/Roy Meadow (and Alan Williams) -
● Sallys 2 sons both died at young age, but she was accused and found guilty for murdering
them both.
● Was later found as a victim of a miscarriage of justice.
● 1st son died Dec 1996 within a few weeks after being born, 2nd son died in similar
circumstances in Jan 1998.
● Doctors found with Harry in the examination things that could be related to abuse,
investigation was carried out, arresting Steve and Sally Clark, but Steve was exonerated.
● During the trial, Dr Roy Meadow stated the probability that 1 of Sally’s children dying with
1.1 SIDS was 1 in 8543, and later made the mistake of saying that the probability of 2 of these
deaths happening in the same family was 1 in 73 million.
1.3
● Sallys’ lawyer confronted Roy and asked if the probability of Harry's death was still 1 in 8,543
2.3
and asked if these 2 events were independent or if the first case increased the risk of another
2.4 case.
● No definite cause to SIDS but if meadow did calculations with environmental and genetic
factors taken into account, he wouldn't have had a number much lower than 73 million (as it
had an impact on the case itself).
● Prosecutor's fallacy = incorrectly claims that since the evidence found is so unusual/unlikely,
that the jury could assume that the accused defendant isn't innocent. The fact that 1
hypothesis is unlikely doesn't mean another’s more likely.
A TOTAL OF 27 CASE STUDIES ARE PRESENT BELOW:
CA CASE STUDIES AND NOTES
UNIT
3
AC’s
1.1 Stephen Lawrence -
2.4 ● The majority (if not all) of the public viewed this as a racial attack - he was murdered on 22nd
April 1993 (he was stabbed to death).
3.2
● Attacked at a bus stop in South-East London, it was an unprovoked attack, five young white
men had murdered him.
● Premeditated, as the boys had practised attacks before in their rooms.
● The case was so widespread that Lawrence's family were visited by Nelson Mandela, who
showed public support, despite them being treated with a lot of injustice.
● 1996 - The parents took out a private prosecution for the case.
● 1997 - The family made a formal complaint of the police and their handling of the case (they
were viewed as an incompetent and uncaring police force).
● Doreen (mother of Stephen) became a baroness from her efforts and campaigning.
● Wasn’t until Jan 2012 (13 years after the inquiry led by Sir William Macpherson concluded)
changes in Crook Justice System led to 1 successful prosecution where ⅖ of the suspects Gary
Dobson and David Norris were convicted for the murder and incarcerated.
● Whole case study is an example of institutional racism and branded metropolitan police as
institutionally racist too.
● The Double Jeopardy law allowed for them to be tried again after being let go the first time in
first trial
● Names of all 5 suspects: Neil and Jaime Acourt, Gary Dobson, David Norris and Luke Knight.
● Almost 3 decades later and the case still hasn't been fully resolved.
Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher -
● Amanda’s background = American who had a normal upbringing and education, middle class,
good social life.
1.1 ● Meredith Kercher = victim
1.3 ● Raffaele Sollecito = Amanda's boyfriend
3.2 ● Nov 2007 - body of Meredith (21 yrs old) was found in her home in Italy (her throat was cut)
● 2 policemen who were not equipped to deal with violent crimes came to the scene, the
crime scene wasn't dealt with properly and closed (it was contaminated) led to evidence
being invalid.
● Amanda (her roommate at the time) was found guilty for this murder.
, ● Knox and her boyfriend and Knox’s boss Patrick Lumumba were all arrested for the murder.
(Pat was released soon after for lack of evidence)
● Oct 2008 - Knox and Sollecito indicted on charges of sexual assault and murder.
● Rudy Herrmann Guede (other suspect for the crime) was also convicted for the murder and
attempted sexual assault of Meredith and was sentenced to 30 yrs prison.
● Dec 2009 - trial begins, Knox and Sollecito were sentenced to prison (Knox = 26 yrs, Sollecito
= 25 yrs).
● Oct 2011 - lack of forensic evidence = Knox and Sollecito sentences overturned by the court;
Knox returns to Washington.
● March 2013 - Italian Supreme Court overturns Knox and Sollecito acquittal.
● Sept 2013 - retrial begins, Knox is represented but remained in Washington.
● Nov 2013 - DNA expert uncovers that the DNA on proposed murder weapon was Knox’s and
not Meredith’s (US forensic experts believed the evidence collected at the scene didn't show
Knox being the killer).
● Jan 2014 - Knox is found guilty and given 28 yrs prison sentence, Sollecito is also given 25 yrs
and his passport was revoked.
● March 2015 - Italy's highest court ends up overturning their guilty convictions, releasing Knox
and Sollecito from the case but Rudy remains in prison.
● Knox overall spent about 4 years in Italian prison.
Sally Clark/Roy Meadow (and Alan Williams) -
● Sallys 2 sons both died at young age, but she was accused and found guilty for murdering
them both.
● Was later found as a victim of a miscarriage of justice.
● 1st son died Dec 1996 within a few weeks after being born, 2nd son died in similar
circumstances in Jan 1998.
● Doctors found with Harry in the examination things that could be related to abuse,
investigation was carried out, arresting Steve and Sally Clark, but Steve was exonerated.
● During the trial, Dr Roy Meadow stated the probability that 1 of Sally’s children dying with
1.1 SIDS was 1 in 8543, and later made the mistake of saying that the probability of 2 of these
deaths happening in the same family was 1 in 73 million.
1.3
● Sallys’ lawyer confronted Roy and asked if the probability of Harry's death was still 1 in 8,543
2.3
and asked if these 2 events were independent or if the first case increased the risk of another
2.4 case.
● No definite cause to SIDS but if meadow did calculations with environmental and genetic
factors taken into account, he wouldn't have had a number much lower than 73 million (as it
had an impact on the case itself).
● Prosecutor's fallacy = incorrectly claims that since the evidence found is so unusual/unlikely,
that the jury could assume that the accused defendant isn't innocent. The fact that 1
hypothesis is unlikely doesn't mean another’s more likely.
