Shared idée fixe - "The case of murder that wasn’t"

Come hear Felicity Goodyear-Smith talk about the case of the murder that wasn't.

Ten year old Zimbabwean immigrant Charlene Makaza suffered from congenital HIV infection and died in Christchurch in 2007 from overwhelming sepsis. Nurses in intensive care misinterpreted the complete relaxation of her anus (due her dying state) and abnormal redness of her tissues (from her HIV disease) as being a huge tear of her rectum extending back a number of centimetres. This horrifying vision was rapidly reinforced by senior medical staff who all perceived what they thought was a gaping meaty wound. Despite subsequent evidence that this wound did not exist, the misperception became an enduring memory. Ramifications of this collective false perception include Charlene’s adopted father George Gwaze being wrongfully accused of her rape and murder, two High Court trials (two acquittals) with intervening Appeal and Supreme Court hearings, and Charlene’s older sister being made ward of the State from age 12 to 18 years.

Felicity will base her talk on her recently published book in the subject.

Professor Felicity Goodyear-Smith is a qualified general practitioner and forensic physician. Over the years her work has included police doctor, prison medical officer and ship’s surgeon. She has acted as expert witness or medical adviser in a number of trials, including the hearings involving George Gwaze, the topic of this book. She is now the Academic Head of the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Auckland, New Zealand, and is also the founding editor of the Journal of Primary Health Care. When she is not working she enjoys tramping, kayaking, swimming and overseas adventures with her family.