Q&A with Neil Mercer author of Falsely Convicted

Read our interview with Falsely Convicted author Neil Mercer.

A&U: Falsely Convicted explores cases of wrongful imprisonment in Australia. What first drew you to investigate these stories, and what made you feel they needed to be told?

NM: I’ve been writing about crime, corruption, courts and the system of justice for more than 40 years. Any wrongful conviction undermines faith in that system, more so when the authorities refuse to acknowledge a mistake has been made. It’s up to journalists like myself to hold the various authorities to account. A wrongful conviction is not some abstract notion. It’s a life turned upside down and forever changed and damaged. Their voices need to be heard.

A&U: Australia is often viewed as having a fair and reliable justice system. What did your research reveal about the gap between that perception and the reality faced by people who are wrongly convicted?

NM: The reality faced by those who are falsely convicted is daunting. After all, it’s a popular belief that half the people in prison say they’re innocent. Journalists in a number of states have played significant roles in revealing that some of them are innocent but this process can sometimes take decades.

A&U: Throughout your research for Falsely Convicted, you uncovered some extraordinary stories of injustice. Was there a particular story or moment during your investigation that stayed with you long after you finished researching it?

NM: One moment that I’ll never forget was when I was interviewing a woman who police said had been raped by former NSW police officer Harry Blackburn. He’d been charged with multiple rapes and his case attracted huge publicity, in the form of a walk of shame orchestrated by very senor police for a hungry media. Towards the end of the interview with the alleged victim I said something like ‘so you think he’s the man who did it’. She responded: ‘Oh no, it wasn’t him, the man that raped me was much younger. I told the police it wasn’t Blackburn.’ I said: ‘Did they put that in your statement?’ She replied: Oh no, they left that bit out.’

A&U: Your book examines issues including false confessions, unreliable evidence, investigative failures, and prejudice. What common themes did you notice across these cases of injustice?

NM: I was keen to cover a range of reasons as to why and how things went wrong in the criminal justice system. There was police corruption, misconduct by prosecutors, faulty DNA evidence, dodgy ‘expert’ witnesses and incompetent defence lawyers.

A&U: As an investigative journalist, how did you approach researching and verifying these complex cases to ensure the stories were told accurately and fairly?

NM: Obtaining original records was crucial. Transcripts of court cases, witness statements, judgments by appeals courts and original newspaper reports were essential. And of course interviews with some of those who spent years behind bars and lawyers and journalists who fought for their freedom.

A&U: What do you hope readers take away from Falsely Convicted, and why is this conversation about justice and accountability still so important today?

NM: I hope people will read the nine cases and get a better understanding of how the legal systems works – or doesn’t work. And that people who have been wrongly convicted and jailed deserve compensation for the trauma they have suffered.

---

Falsely Convicted

by Neil Mercer

An Australian True Crime investigation of wrongful imprisonment by the bestselling author of The Kingpin and the Crooked Cop.

FIND OUT MORE