Director of Queensland’s troubled DNA lab, Linzi Wilson-Wilde, suspended
The scientist leading the overhaul of Queensland’s trouble-plagued DNA lab has been suspended after ‘contamination issues’ were discovered.
The scientist leading the overhaul of Queensland’s trouble-plagued DNA lab has been suspended after “contamination issues” were discovered.
State Attorney-General Deb Frecklington announced on Friday night that Linzi Wilson-Wilde had been immediately suspended as director of Forensic Science Queensland, “pending a show-cause notice for removal”.
Ms Frecklington said she made the decision just hours after the contamination issues were identified, with all routine testing operations at the laboratory also put on hold for at least a week.
It is the latest blow to the state lab, which conducts testing for criminal investigations and prosecutions in Queensland, after the unearthing of systematic testing failures were brought to light in The Australian’s podcast series, Shandee’s Story, investigating the unsolved murder of Shandee Blackburn, who was savagely stabbed to death in Mackay in 2013.
Investigative journalist Hedley Thomas and forensic biologist Kirsty Wright revealed the flawed testing practices at the laboratory had compromised the investigation into Blackburn’s murder and thousands of other serious criminal cases.
Two commissions of inquiry into the lab were conducted, confirming the DNA testing problems.
Dr Wilson-Wilde was appointed by the former Labor government to overhaul the lab.
But it was later revealed she had failed to raise the alarm on the discovery of another flawed DNA extraction method that may have denied Queensland victims of crime crucial evidence for nine years.
About 100,000 crime scene samples would have been processed using variations of the automated method, which saved the lab time and was implemented in a period of intense pressure from courts, government and the public to deal with testing delays and backlogs.
The Australian revealed Dr Wilson-Wilde had examined the method for the first DNA inquiry and failed in her expert report to detail the serious problems it was having in recovering DNA.
A second inquiry was called after the discovery, by Dr Wright, which confirmed the revelations. But Dr Wilson-Wilde remained in her role after a finding that she did not deliberately mislead the first inquiry.
In a statement, Ms Frecklington did not detail the contamination issues that prompted the move against Dr Wilson-Wilde.
“This action was taken following advice I received today that FSQ was placing a general pause on routine DNA testing after contamination issues were identified,” Ms Frecklington said.
“FSQ’s pause in operations will occur for a preliminary period of seven days and this will be reviewed by FSQ after this period to determine the next steps.
“The government has been advised FSQ will continue to progress urgent matters in a limited capacity during this time and that this can be done with appropriate controls.
“I want to assure Queenslanders the Crisafulli government remains firmly committed to fixing the longstanding issues at Forensic Science Queensland.”
The Crisafulli government has commissioned a new inquiry into the troubled DNA lab, led by Dr Wright and renowned US geneticist Bruce Budowle. The findings are expected to be handed down later this year.
Ms Frecklington last month ordered forensic test samples to be sent to labs overseas for analysis, after it was found Queensland police were waiting 63 weeks for essential major crime samples to be processed and returned.
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