Law Society and Crutchley's reply
| “The police began to find
out all the names of all the people who had been at Furneaux Lodge on New
Years eve, and who had arrived by boat…… These investigations were to
follow up every such boat and their occupants”
Nocola Crutchley (Opening for the crown) |
The crown opened the Watson trial on the basis that every vessel at or near Furneaux lodge had been identified and eliminated from the inquiry by police.
They
closed the trial in the same manner:
|
“Now
I won’t go into all of the evidence by which the crown says other boats
at Furneaux can be eliminated. But one of the core circumstantial planks
of the crown case is the elimination of all the other boats that can be
identified as being there.”
“……..and
we have the yachts in the purple or blue sector and the only one not
accounted for is Mr Watson. Now of course, I suppose you could say he is
accounted for, he said he left at 7.00 – 6.30” Paul
Davison QC
|
Over
one hundred and fifty witnesses were called to prove this point.
While
researching Mr Davison’s question, “When did he leave?” the
following statement was found deep within the police file. This witness
was not called to give evidence.
|
30314
/ JS / NADINE
CAMERON / LC8773 / 300198 NEW
ZEALAND POLICE JOB
SHEET
02.02.98 0930
hrs
Phone Nadine
CAMERON in Christchurch re her rowing back in at 6.00am on New
Year’s day at Furneaux.
STATES When
I got back in at 6.15-6.30am a wee
yacht [C1] was
going out of the bay. I
can’t remember too much about it or what it looked like but it was
chugging away. There were
other people up on a yacht having coffee just to the right of us that may
have seen it. L H CAMERON Detective 8773
|
And
two days later:
|
11390
/ ST / NADINE
CAMERON / JGD391 / 040298 04/02/98 Nadine
Margaret CAMERON states: ………………. I came back to our boat and sat on the back of MISTRESS and had a coffee. We had swung round with the tide and I was facing north west across the bay. I remember a yacht starting its motor, and seeing a yacht come past at about 6.30 am-6.45 am. It came from somewhere in the main body of yachts moored in the bay and passed on the north side of a boat, which from the photo of the bay [witness is shown morning photo which does not show UNICORN or BLADE], was TROOPER. I think the boat had a black and white terrier on it which was barking like made. (TROOPER) There were 3 people on TROOPER, a woman and two guys, older type 30-40’s. TROOPER left about 7.00 am. We left round about 8.00 am. We went back to Blackwood Bay. As we went out of the inlet, we passed the ‘Cougarline’, a taxi going into the inlet, also the ‘Endeavour’, another water taxi. Between Blumine Island and Cherry Bay, we passed TROOPER, on motor heading toward Picton. We went back to Blackwood Bay and stayed there until the 2nd and left there to come back to Chch with Nathan’s Dad. Constable
Gallate has shown me two “identikit” sketches.
Neither sketch rings any bells for me. (Signed)
N M CAMERON Statement taken and signature witnessed by (Signed) J N Gallate Const D391 Chch 3.30 pm
|
The
two statements above would mean little to the average reader unless one
was aware that the owner of the vessel ‘Unicorn’ also had a fox
terrier dog (Jazz) with which he was inseparable and also that the vessel
‘Trooper’ had only two people aboard and did not leave the area until
after 8:00 am, even then not leaving the confines of Endeavour Inlet.
If
the trial evidence of each of the boat owners at Furneaux Lodge is checked
for departure time, [and this includes every vessel if the
crown are to be believed] then no “wee yacht” left the lodge area
between 6:30- 6:45 am.
The
above is the statement of one person. She could be mistaken in her times
or the events she describes. The Crown Solicitor requested the police to
check this out on June 8th 1999.
|
14338
/ JS / VICKI
EASTGATE / BM6952 / 080699 NEW ZEALAND POLICE JOB
SHEET OFFENCE:
OPERATION TAM
At the request of the Crown Solicitor carrying out enquiries as directed with boat owner and occupant witnesses. 08/06/99 1250
hours
Phone enquiry with:
Vicki
EASTGATE
025 456839
EASTGATE
is the co-owner of a yacht Unicorn. She confirms that while
at Fumeaux they had their dog with them which is a fox terrier. On
the morning of 01/01/98 she said that their party were up drinking
coffee at the back of the boat between about 6.30 to 7.30 am. Between
those times she noticed a ski boat leave and she had seen that earlier
beside the fishing boats. She
thought that she saw another yacht leave over that period but couldn't
describe it any further. B
McLACHLAN Detective 6952
|
There
are now two people who saw this non-existent “wee yacht” leaving the
Furneaux lodge area.
|
20029
/ ST / SCOTT WATSON / JMD684 / 120198 Monday
12 January 1998 Nadine
Margaret CAMERON states: After waking up, checked the oil in the motor, and left. It was about half past 6, 7 o’clock when I left. It was dawn anyway. It was daylight. I am guessing it was that time. It was early, but it was a nice day. The neighbours weren’t up and about. I didn’t see anyone else. I untied my boat and left.
|
There are now two people and the owner of such a yacht describing a “wee yacht” leaving the area between 6:30 – 7:00 am. This causes a major problem for the crown case. If this vessel is Blade, then what vessel is this seen leaving at about 5:00 am:
|
20218
/ ST / JEREMY BROWN
/ SID741 /140198 Christchurch
Central Police Station Nadine
Margaret CAMERON states: I saw a yacht which was heading away from the Furneaux area. This boat was definitely white with a stripe along the side. I don’t know what colour the stripe was. I couldn’t see anyone on board. I saw a light, I’m not sure how many, at the top of the mast or masts. I don’t know what colour the light was. I would say the boat was about 40 foot long, I could see the outline quite well. It had safety rails on it as well.
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Crown
prosecutor Crutchley was, or should have been, well aware that when she
opened the case for the prosecution on the basis that ‘All boats at
Furneaux had been identified’, she was, in fact, telling a lie.
“No need to look over the horizon for a mystery ketch. Never was one. Is a fiction,”
Davison QC
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