Daniel’s father, Bruce Morcombe, in plea to Annastacia Palaszczuk: Shandee Blackburn deserves justice too

The father of murdered schoolboy Daniel Morcombe has called for an independent ­review of forensic evidence from the killing of Shandee Blackburn.

Bruce Morcombe urged the Palaszczuk government not to “fear a review” of the state-run ­forensics lab. Picture: Dan Peled

The father of murdered Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe has called for an independent ­review of forensic evidence from the brutal unsolved 2013 killing of Shandee Blackburn.

Bruce Morcombe urged the Palaszczuk government not to “fear a review” of the state-run ­forensics lab – and the retesting of evidence labelled a “train wreck” by one of Australia’s most res­pected forensic scientists Kirsty Wright – because it could deliver justice for Blackburn’s family. “Only good things can from it, let’s face it – only good things,’’ a passionate Mr Morcombe said.

Shandee Blackburn

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday again refused to bow to calls from Dr Wright and Blackburn’s furious family to immediately order an inquiry into the government-run forensic laboratory.

Australian DNA testing pioneer Dr Angela van Daal has also called for an independent inquiry, citing her ­serious concerns about the lab’s handling of cases dating back almost two decades.

Those calls have also been backed by experienced criminal defence lawyers, the state opposition and the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group.

Dr Wright, who has found a ­litany of errors in the handling of ­forensic evidence in the Blackburn case, was critical in helping identify Daniel Morcombe’s remains.

She came up with the testing strategy for Daniel’s remains, and it was her recommendation that the remains be subject to a different technique and sent to a lab in Adelaide that specialised in ancient DNA. This lab achieved a result, matching the DNA to Daniel.

The Queensland forensics lab was unable to get a DNA profile from the remains, and now Mr Morcombe has said he believes that Dr Wright’s analysis of the Blackburn case is “very accurate and very timely”.

A champion of criminal law ­reforms and safety education programs across Australia, Mr Morcombe said failures in the handling of DNA evidence after Daniel, 13, disappeared in 2003 may have ­delayed the 2011 arrest of his killer, Brett Peter Cowan, by years.

“There should be a review of the evidence, retesting of forensics – it is critically important in high-profile cases like this,’’ he said.

“At the end of the day, if they uncover the truth and put somebody away who is responsible, who would object to that? It’s a good thing. Sure, mistakes have been made in the past, but we can’t undo those. We’ve got to look forward, and that is to make the system as clean and as clinical as possible.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the office of Ms Palaszczuk, questioned in parliament by the state opposition over the need for an ­inquiry, said: “The Premier has requested advice from her director-general regarding the allegations about the evidence in this case.’’

However, the chair of Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group said the government must call a ­review into the state’s forensics lab to give some surety to the Blackburn family about the evidence in her homicide case. University of Queensland Honorary Associate Professor Samara McPhedran, who was formerly the founding director of Griffith University’s Homicide Research Unit, said justice would be served only when the issues about the laboratory were examined.

“Whenever serious questions are raised about the appropriateness of an investigative response – and that includes how forensic and other material was dealt with, how it was analysed, how it was processed – I think it serves the administration of justice to appropriately and thoroughly investigate those questions and allegations,” Dr McPhedran told The Australian.

Dr McPhedran, whose background includes public health, public administration, psychology, criminology and law, said a number of QHVSG members were still grieving without having had a perpetrator brought to justice.

She said unanswered questions, including those around forensics, would have a significant impact on the mental health of homicide victims’ families.

“It is utterly heartbreaking, devastating, and overshadows their whole lives and everything they do, because it’s always there with them,” she said. “Not only does it prevent the administration of justice, but it always persists with those families as an absolutely dreadful part of their lives, that there are question marks and unknowns. Any issue that goes to whether a family’s loved one received what they believe to be a full, thorough and careful investigation is of course going to impact on them.”

In question time, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli asked Ms Palaszczuk when the government would launch an independent investigation into the lab. The Premier shrugged off responsibility, saying the bungle occurred in 2013. “We weren’t in government at that stage, so perhaps those opposite should look at whatever cuts they made to the lab at the time,” she said.

Her response was described as “a disgrace” by opposition police spokesman Dale Last.

“The Premier says her job is to keep Queenslanders safe,” he said. “How is the Premier keeping Queenslanders safe if the DNA of murderers, rapists and other perpetrators isn’t properly collected or analysed?

“How many more unsolved cases are a result of the failings of this lab? It is deplorable for the Premier … and the Health Minister to dismiss the claims.”

Mr Last repeated his support for an independent review of the lab’s operations: “I won’t stop fighting for justice for all victims who may have been affected by these failures.”

Additional reporting: Lydia Lynch

Angela van Daal has called for an independent inquiry, citing her ­serious concerns about the lab’s handling of cases dating back almost two decades.