Driskell Inquiry Told Police, Crown Withheld Info To Get Wrongful Conviction

Driskell's conviction was quashed by the federal government last year, largely because the main physical evidence in the case was disproven. Three hairs found in Driskell's van and which an expert witness testified had come from the victim were proven through DNA tests to have come from other people. There were also new revelations about the key Crown witness in the case, Ray Zanidean. Driskell's lawyer, Greg Brodsky, was never told Zanidean was receiving tens of thousands of dollars in living, relocation and other expenses in exchange for his testimony. Zanidean was also informally given immunity on an arson charge in Saskatchewan in exchange for testifying. Brodsky, who repeatedly asked prosecutors in 1990 and 1991 whether Zanidean was getting any deals, told the inquiry in July he could have discredited Zanidean had he been told. Code said the blame lies largely at the feet of lead prosecutor George Dangerfield, Gregg Lawlor, who was a junior Crown lawyer at the time, and Bruce Miller, who was then director of prosecutions. "Nobody has a shadow of a doubt that this was all disclosable and relevant," Code said. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/07/16/pf-1687756.html [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on November 1, 2006]

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