Canada: Judge Refuses to Hear Expert Testimony Showing the Innocence of the Accused in Seal-Hunt Observer Trial

Published on May 8, 2008 - 7:48:32 AM

By: The Humane Society of the United States

ILES DE LA MADELEINE, May 7, 2008 -- As the second day of the seal-hunt observer trial began, Judge Jean-Paul Decoste refused to hear testimony from a world-renowned forensic video expert. Even after allowing the video into evidence yesterday despite the objection of the Crown, today the judge ruled, in favor of the Crown, that expert testimony to the effect the video scientifically proved that the accused did not approach the 10-meter limit, would not alter the outcome of the case and therefore refused to let Grant Fredericks testify.

"The judge has rejected expert scientific evidence that shows we are innocent saying that scientific analysis of the video would not be useful him, no matter how good the expert," said Clay Ruby, lawyer for the accused. "We will continue to respectfully call each of the accused persons to testify that they broke no law. If there is a finding of guilt, we will appeal that ruling."

The defendants - Canadians Rebecca Aldworth and Andrew Plumbly, Americans Chad Sisneros and Pierre Grzybowski, and British citizen Mark Glover - were charged with being within 10 meters of a seal hunter conducting a sealing activity during the 2006 hunt. Fredericks was set to testify that scientific measurements of the video shows that the defendants were at least 19.6 meters at the time of the incident.

Fredericks has more than 20 years experience in analyzing forensic video evidence and provides expert testimony throughout the U.S. and Canada, usually for the prosecution. Fredericks teaches the techniques used to analyze this evidence at University of Indianapolis, the U.S. FBI National Academy at Quantico, Va., and to Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and is the video evidence advisor to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

On the web at www.hsi.org.

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