Show Trials? Not in this Country

Monday, 25 November 2002

Yesterday's Age featured this article by Roger Franklin on controversy surrounding Linda Fairstein "America's foremost prosecutor of crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence". And also a best selling author who knows how to look fetching in a black raincoat, without being too vulgar about it.

The basic allegation against Ms Fairstein is that, like many a tall poppy, her roots are firmly planted in very old fashioned organic fertiliser. Ms Fairstein built her successful career as both prosecutor and novelist on her successful prosecution of the "Central Park Jogger" case: but the confession of Mathias Reyes "a career mugger, convicted murderer and serial rapist" and DNA evidence casts doubt on the conviction. According to Franklin's report, Fairstein knew about the DNA evidence at the time of the trial, but chose to suppress it.

Nor is that the end of Fairstein's problems. Thanks to the reopening of the jogger case, at least two of her other celebrated prosecutions are being re-examined. In each, the same pattern emerges: suppressed evidence, selective leaks to doting reporters, and threats directed at potential witnesses who might have raised reasonable doubts.

According to Newsday Ms Fairstein has said that she has no regrets about the case: and with a successful career as a prosecutor and best-selling author, one can understand her position. After all, every author is allowed a little artistic license from time to time and as Harold Robbins frequently remarked, in the end, the true measure of literary merit is all in the money. Sometimes, art requires us to make sacrifices and Ms Fairstein is obviously well aware of this.