Statement - attribute to Detective Superintendent Peter Read:
Police have now completed an analysis of the book written by author Ian Wishart titled “Elementary”, and compared claims made in the book with the original investigation file.
Police concur with Mr Wishart’s overall finding that Scott Watson is the offender for the murders of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope.
Police do however strongly disagree with Mr Wishart’s claim that the evidence line followed by Police was wrong.
In particular police do not agree with the following claims in Mr Wishart’s book:
1. Scott Watson painted his boat whilst sailing near the head of Endeavour Inlet on the morning of the 1st of January 1998 when he was in the company of another unknown person.
2. Evidence of the Erie Bay sighting was false.
3. Scott Watson and the unknown accomplice removed the bodies of Ben and Olivia on the morning 1st of January 1998 in Shakespeare Bay.
While we understand the enduring public interest in this case, Police are not in a position to publicly re-litigate evidence which has been gathered during a historic investigation, including evidence which was put before the court. We are particularly mindful of our obligations of fairness and privacy around witnesses who provided information to police.
We can however say that we have considered each of these claims in detail, including examination of the file and witness statements taken at the time. We have also spoken to staff who were involved in the original investigation. As a result of this work police do not believe there is any substance to the above claims in Mr Wishart’s book.
We should also state that Police relied on corroborated evidence and witness testimony to present the prosecution case that secured convictions in relation to the murders. It is not unusual for witness sightings to contradict each other, and Police and prosecutors made decisions on who gave evidence based on corroborated accounts that were supported by the known facts. The defence legal team were given copies of all of the witness accounts that were collected during the investigation.
END
Media please note Mr Read is unavailable for interview.
Issued by Police Media Centre