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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
3 |
Year Crime: |
2002 |
Year Convicted: |
2002 |
Year Cleared: |
2005 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
United Kingdom |
County or Region of Crime: |
England |
City of Crime: |
Lowestoft |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Steven Puaca was wrongly convicted in November 2002 of murdering his girlfriend in March 2002 in Lowestoft, England. His conviction was based on the erroneous analysis of crime scene evidence by the prosection' expert pathologist that the woman was smothered by a pillow. Ttwo pathologists retained by the defence on appeal advanced she very possibly died from an overdose of drugs, possibly coupled with a fit.. Puaca's conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeals for England and Wales on November 10, 2005. Released after three years of wrongful imprisonment." |
Conviction Caused By: |
"Erroneous evidence analysis by prosecution pathologist Michael Heath that the woman died from smothering -- when other experts demonstrated the falsenes of that analysis, and that she could have died from a drug overdose and a fit." |
Innocence Proved By: |
"Conviction quashed by the U.K.'s Court of Appeals on November 10, 2005." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
35 |
Age When Released: |
38 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
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Information Source 1: |
"Judges clear boyfriend of murder, By Staff writer, BBC News, November 10, 2005" |
Information Location 1: |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/suffolk/4426370.stm |
Information Source 2: |
"Murder cases may be reopened after criticism of pathologist, Clare Dyer (legal editor), The Guardian (UK), November 25, 2005" |
Information Location 2: |
"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1650183,00.html" |
Information Source 3: |
"Expert Misled Jury - Judges, EDP24, November 24, 2005" |
Information Location 3: |
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED24%20Nov%202005%2021%3A46%3A11%3A620 |
Information Source 4: |
"Man freed as murder conviction quashed, Staff, East Anglian Daily Times, November 17, 2005" |
Information Location 4: |
http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/news/story.asp?datetime=17+Nov+2005+09%3A18&tbrand=EADOnline&tCategory=NEWS&category=News&brand=EADOnline&itemid=IPED11+Nov+2005+15%3A45%3A28%3A133 |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org