Bassin-Blanc case : Is it a joke?

I just want to voice my opinion and frustration on the way the Bassin-Blanc case was handled. Such a major murder investigation has been turned into a joke from my point of view. Four years on, and it?s now that members of the judiciary have to go on site to finally come to the conclusion that it was impossible for the couple to have committed suicide.

The investigating team are either a bunch of incompetent or they do not understand the values and meaning of forensic evidence. Even the site itself gives plenty of clues which apparently did not appeal to them. It was just such a waste of time and money. And as time passes on, it gets more difficult for the investigation. What about the family, who wants to know what really happened, do we ever think of them ?

What really amazed me was that the investigating officer (and I do not know on whose advice), brushed off the forensic evidence given by Dr Boolell at the start of the case and closed the case as suicide. What authority and experience and qualifications have they got to ignore such evidence given by an expert witness, an expert in the field of forensic.

I am myself doing research in Forensic Science and through your newspaper, I have read about all the murder cases over the past years, and I can say confidently that the Criminal investigative teams do not value the importance of forensic evidence. I would recommend a total shake up of the Criminal Investigation Divisions (CID) throughout the country and perhaps start providing them with short in-house courses and talks on the value of forensic evidence. I am sure people like Dr Boollel and Dr Gungadin or even Dr Gujjalu, who is now retired, and even forensic scientists from the Forensic Science Laboratory could provide good courses and advise? But that is if the CID or Major Crime Investigation Team want to hear of it !

I think the government needs to act quickly towards a reform of the system. This would save time, money and avoid repeats of cases like this one and not to mention the Lallmatie case and many others.

I would be grateful if you could bring up this issue to the attention of the police, government, attorney general and whoever you deem necessary.

Sean SOHUN