British expert weighs in on 'discrepancies' in WA man’s murder conviction
A British pathologist who worked on high-profile cases including 9/11 and the death of Princess Diana, has cast doubt on a WA man's decade-old murder conviction.
Dr Richard Shepherd says he doesn't believe a bloodied knife, which helped put Scott Austic in jail, was the weapon used in the crime.
The former mechanic is serving a life sentence for the 2007 stabbing murder of his pregnant lover, Stacey Thorne in Boddington, south-east of Perth.
Former mechanic Scott Austic is serving a life sentence for the 2007 stabbing murder of his pregnant lover, Stacey Thorne. 9News
Dr Richard Sheperd said some of the wounds described are much longer than the length of the blade of the knife seized as evidence. 9News
He's now appealing his conviction for a second time, claiming key pieces of evidence were planted.
Among them, a 10 centimetre knife found in a paddock days after the crime.
Dr Shepherd, who has conducted more than 23,000 post-mortems in his 35-year career, told the court there were "serious discrepancies" between Ms Thorne's injuries and the murder weapon.
"Some of the wounds described ... are so much longer than the length of the blade of the knife, that I have great concerns that the knife caused those wounds," he told reporters outside court.
Dr Richard Shepherd says he doesn't believe a bloodied knife, which helped put Scott Austic in jail, was the weapon used in the crime. 9News
But he conceded it can't be ruled out completely.
He said the pathologist who examined Stacey Thorne's body in 2007 - and has since passed away - "fundamentally misinterpreted" some of the injuries.
Prosecution expert, Dr Jodi White, said she also thinks certain wounds were "unlikely" to have come from the knife.
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