Exhumation ordered in Douglas Scott case

DARWIN — Letty Scott has won the fight for a court order to exhume the body of her husband, Douglas Scott, whom she believes was murdered in Berrimah jail on July 5, 1985.

Later this month, Brazilian forensic expert Professor Vanrell will travel to Townsville, where Douglas is buried, to carry out the autopsy. The NT Supreme Court ordered the autopsy to be carried out jointly with a Queensland government pathologist, which has angered Letty as she does not believe the "forensic fraternity" in this country can be trusted.

The exhumation order comes before the hearing in the NT Supreme Court of the civil case being fought by Letty for the quashing of the findings of the inquest into Douglas's death, which found that he committed suicide.

The NT government-appointed defence argued that Letty's concerns about the Qld pathologist were based on a "subjective notion". Letty's legal counsel pointed out that one of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was that family of Aboriginal people who die in custody have the right to a second autopsy carried out by a medical practitioner of their choice.

Kathy Newnam

From Green Left Weekly, March 16, 2005.

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From GLW issue 619