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Sounds murders: Police dispute Wishart's claims in 'Elementary'

Publish Date
Tue, 17 May 2016, 1:30PM
Ian Wishart. Photo / Chris Gorman

Sounds murders: Police dispute Wishart's claims in 'Elementary'

Publish Date
Tue, 17 May 2016, 1:30PM

UPDATED 6.48PM Police are disputing three claims made by journalist Ian Wishart in his book on the Ben Smart and Olivia Hope case.

Elementary, based on the police file on the case, advances the theory that Scott Watson - and another person - were responsible for their 1998 deaths, by using witness statements and new evidence.

Police agree with Ian Wishart's overall findings, but have reservations about three claims made about the police investigation.

LISTEN ABOVE: Ian Wishart talks to Larry Willilams

LISTEN: Gerald Hope talks to Larry Williams

In particular police disagree that Scott Watson repainted his boat whilst sailing near the head of Endeavour Inlet on the morning of January 1st with another person.

The second point of contention is evidence of the Erie Bay sighting, which police say was false.

Thirdly police are unhappy with the claim that Scott Watson and an unknown accomplice removed the bodies of Ben and Olivia on the morning of January the 1st.

Ian Wishart said police are simply embarrassed that the truth has come to light many years later.

"What they're taking part is my attack on the trial process which is that they followed the wrong line of evidence.They're desperately trying to defend their position in court which I think they should have done a better job at the time in my view.

"It's a fatally flawed review. I've been able to prove in a state of less than an hour that all three of their points are wrong, and that's really concerning from an investigative point of view."

The father of Olivia Hope says despite their differences, the police and Ian Wishart agree on who killed his daughter.

Gerald Hope said he's still keeping an open mind about the case.

"When you sift through all this and you come back to the conclusion that the police case and the prosecution is based on evidence, Wishart's book is based on evidence, both sides have interpreted the evidence for their own purpose."

Mr Hope said he just wants to know what actually happened.

"At the outset I felt Watson was likely convicted. As time went by the evidence became a bit thinner. So there are parts that I've had issues with. The facts still remains that one or maybe several people know the truth."

Mr Wishart is standing by his story and said today’s announcement was nothing more than a “factually incorrect butt covering exercise” that had overlooked the vital evidence.

The investigative journalist said Mr Read was unaware of key witness statements when he briefed him about their differing findings.

“While police acknowledge that I am right about Watson being the mystery man and Alliance being the mystery ketch, they are trying to discredit evidence that shows they got the Erie Bay story wrong.”

He said the witness statements were proof that police were wrong as three witnesses said the boat was blue before it arrived in Erie Bay and another man Ted Walsh saw it being repainted from Red to Blue on New Year’s Day.

“Mr Read appeared to be unaware of the statement and confused Walsh with a different witness.”

He instead claimed police were relying on evidence from Watson’s Key Advocate Paul Maker that he helped him paint the boat on 2 January even though they had never interviewed him at the time of the murders and his earlier statement was contradicted by other witnesses.

Mr Wishart also believed there were statements from three witnesses who claimed they had seen two people onboard Watson’s boat Blade.

“The police have cherrypicked the files to try and discredit a book that shows their trial reasoning was wrong. They missed a chance to really investigate Watson’s movements in the crucial 36 hours after the murders, and they are trying to make excuses.”

 

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