When the End Doesn’t Justify the Means: Voluntariness Issues and Unreliable Expert Witness Testimony in R v Doyle 2003
In 1996, while dancing at home with his girlfriend’s infant son, Tyler, in his arms, twenty-three-year-old Bernard Doyle tripped and fell. Tyler fell on construction tools that were scattered around the floor of the apartment, with Mr. Doyle landing on top of him. In spite of immediately receiving medical attention, Tyler’s injuries were too severe; he died in the hospital the next day. Mr. Doyle was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
R v Webbe-Wong: A Reminder of the Frailties of Cross-Racial Identification Evidence
On its own merits, eyewitness evidence is problematic and poses challenges to the truth-finding function of Canada’s legal system. Every individual, and thus every eyewitness, is affected by biases and prejudices that can make it more difficult to assess who or what was seen at the time a crime took place. This paper will explain that reliability issues with eyewitness testimony are aggravated by cross-racial bias.
