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Vicky Calder - Judge’s summing up
In his summing up, Justice Tipping said the Crown was required to prove three points - that Lloyd’s illness was caused by acrylamide, that Calder administered it and that she intended to kill him or cause him grievous harm.
He said if the jury agreed Lloyd had been poisoned, it somehow had to place the poison in Calder’s hands and be convinced she was of a mind to kill him.
He told the jury the nature of Lloyd’s illness posed problems as ‘few aspects were virtually definitive’ and that there were doubts even in the minds of Crown witnesses. He also dealt with the Crown’s failure to conduct tests to prove the presence of acrylamide. He remarked that it seemed odd such a test was not carried out if it is possible to do so.
The jury retired after the four weeks trial and considered the evidence for close to two days before reporting they were unable to agree. Judith Ablett-Kerr sought a discharge for Calder but a new trial was ordered and this began five months later.
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