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Grandfather killed after being mistaken for kidnapper

<p>An Indian grandfather has been tragically killed in a one-punch attack after being mistaken for a kidnapper. </p> <p>Mewa Singh, 60, was visiting his son and grandson in Christchurch when he suffered the fatal blow at the hands of a stranger.</p> <p>His 32-year-old attacker, whose name has been suppressed, was spending time at a park on April 7th 2023 with his son when he drove off and left his child behind to “teach his son a lesson” after the boy was misbehaving, according to <em><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350337161/totally-unfair-how-one-punch-changed-familys-life-forever" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline">Stuff</a></em>.</p> <p>When he returned a short time late to pick up his son, the man saw a stranger, later identified as Singh, holding his son’s hand near a bus stop and became enraged, shoving Singh and yelling “that’s my f****** son”.</p> <p>He drove the child back to his ex-partner’s house and explained the situation, when his son allegedly said, Singh was “trying to walk him to daddy’s car”. </p> <p>The man then decided to drive back to the park to find Singh, where he confronted the grandfather by grabbing his shirt collar and accusing him of trying to abduct his son.</p> <p>He then delivered a “haymaker-style punch” to his jaw, which caused Singh to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement.</p> <p>Believing Singh to be dead, his attacker left and told his ex-partner he thought he killed him, prompting her to phone emergency services.</p> <p>Despite being treated in the ICU at Christchurch Hospital, Singh did not regain consciousness and died on April 9th.</p> <p>Singh’s attacker faced Christchurch High Court on Friday, when he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and is scheduled to be sentenced in October. </p> <p>Speaking to <em><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350337161/totally-unfair-how-one-punch-changed-familys-life-forever" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff</a></em> about the attack 15 months on, Singh’s son Himanshu Keshwer said his family was still beyond devastated at the sudden loss.</p> <p>“He was a very good human being,” he said.</p> <p>Keshwer said what happened to his father was “totally unfair”.</p> <p>“Someone killed my dad and I couldn’t do anything, and still can’t do anything,” he told the outlet.</p> <p>“It makes me sad, it shouldn’t have happened.”</p> <p>A <a href="https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/helping-and-support-the-family" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline">fundraiser</a> was launched to support Singh’s family and transport his body back to India, raising $16,316, which exceeded the $15,000 goal.</p> <p><em>Image credits: givealittle.co.nz</em></p>

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How mistaken identity can lead to wrongful convictions

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hayley-cullen-423538">Hayley Cullen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p>In March 1976, American Leonard Mack was convicted of sexual assault and holding two female victims at gunpoint. In September 2023, Mack’s wrongful conviction was finally overturned by a New York judge on his 72nd birthday with the help of the <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/news/hit-in-dna-database-proves-leonard-macks-innocence-after-47-years-of-wrongful-conviction/">Innocence Project</a>, an organisation that uses DNA evidence to prove factual innocence.</p> <p>Mack’s conviction took 47 years to overturn. He served seven-and-a-half of these years in a New York prison. His case is the <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/news/8-moving-moments-from-leonard-macks-historic-exoneration-after-47-years/">longest</a> in United States history to be overturned using DNA evidence.</p> <p>In June 2023, a similar historic moment occurred in Australia. Kathleen Folbigg was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/05/kathleen-folbigg-pardoned-after-20-years-in-jail-over-deaths-of-her-four-children">pardoned and released</a> after 20 years in prison for the murder and manslaughter of her four young children.</p> <p>Considered one of the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/folbigg-release-would-make-chamberlain-case-pale-into-insignificance-20230307-p5cpya.html">worst miscarriages of justice</a> in Australian history, Folbigg’s release has sparked discussion over whether Australia needs a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/12/not-a-rare-case-kathleen-folbigg-pardon-sparks-calls-for-new-body-to-review-possible-wrongful-convictions">formalised body</a> to deal with post-conviction appeals.</p> <p>Mack and Folbigg are only two individuals on different sides of the world who have spent decades fighting to prove their innocence.</p> <p>Many others are still fighting. The prevalence of wrongful convictions is hard to determine. The <a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx">National Registry of Exonerations</a> in the United States has recorded 3,396 exonerations nation-wide since 1989.</p> <p>But data on official exonerations fail to capture the many individuals whose convictions are yet to be overturned.</p> <p>Estimates of the prevalence of wrongful convictions in the United States range from <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/08874034221106747?casa_token=DL_gPkxNcI8AAAAA:uI-en9junmLXXScDGthXAuC9JcLsxp5OF1J4QB1WdA2L2cZRcwRuwtxVmIMiKYbYaSDj_ji4EdPSLA">0.5 to 5%</a>. The exact prevalence in Australia is less clear but we do know <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.801706351305383?casa_token=cpZBfZmh944AAAAA%3Ax_zYUlnogLjuDWl81jc38vmeOovzw44M171rP7G3ibNnU35rvWS0yeIO_Ad0eBa54nE54KxaKzIb3w4">71 cases of wrongful convictions</a> have been identified in Australia between 1922 to 2015.</p> <p>Some have argued there could be <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.308199161216493">350 convictions per year</a> of individuals who are factually innocent in Australia.</p> <p>A witness mistakenly identifying an innocent suspect is common in many wrongful conviction cases.</p> <p>Eyewitness misidentification is the leading contributing factor in wrongful convictions overturned by the <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/exonerations-data/">Innocence Project</a>, present in 64% of their successful cases.</p> <p>In Australia, <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.801706351305383?casa_token=cpZBfZmh944AAAAA%3Ax_zYUlnogLjuDWl81jc38vmeOovzw44M171rP7G3ibNnU35rvWS0yeIO_Ad0eBa54nE54KxaKzIb3w4">6%</a> of recorded wrongful convictions involved an eyewitness error.</p> <p>This may be an underestimate given many applications to innocence initiatives in Australia alleging wrongful conviction, such as the <a href="https://bohii.net/">Bridge of Hope Innocence Initiative</a>, report <a href="https://bohii.net/blog/positiononestablishingccrcas">eyewitness evidence</a> as a potential contributing factor.</p> <p>In Mack’s case, two victims misidentified him as the perpetrator. These identifications proved to be instrumental in his wrongful conviction. How did the two victims get it wrong?</p> <h2>How problematic procedures influence eyewitnesses</h2> <p>Eyewitness identification evidence relies on witnesses to accurately remember criminal perpetrators. Several factors affect eyewitness memory accuracy. Features of the crime can impact memory, such as whether it was light or dark, or whether the perpetrator wore a disguise.</p> <p>Memory can also be affected by characteristics of the witness at the time of the crime, such as their stress or intoxication levels.</p> <p>These factors are present at the time of the crime and cannot be changed. What is perhaps more crucial is that eyewitness memory can also be affected by the procedures law enforcement use to collect identification evidence.</p> <p>In <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/news/hit-in-dna-database-proves-leonard-macks-innocence-after-47-years-of-wrongful-conviction/">Mack’s case</a>, there were serious problems with the procedures used to get the identifications from the victims. One of the victims made three separate identifications of Mack. Witnesses should only complete one identification procedure for each suspect, because the first identification will bias future identification attempts.</p> <p>For two of the identifications the victim made, she was only shown Mack by himself surrounded by police. Showing a lone suspect without any other lineup members may <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-29406-3_2">increase mistaken identifications</a>, particularly when the context in which they are shown is highly suggestive.</p> <p>Seeing Mack in handcuffs and in the presence of police may have led the victim to identify him. Mack was the only person shown to the witness in these identification attempts, so the police officers organising the process knew he was the suspect.</p> <p>“Single-blind” administration of identification procedures – where the police officers organising the lineup know who the suspect is – increase the likelihood of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-49224-002">mistaken identifications</a>.</p> <p>For the other identification this victim made, she picked Mack out of a photo lineup containing seven images. Mack’s photo was the only photo in the lineup that contained visible clothing and the year (1975) in the background. All members of a lineup must be matched and no one lineup member <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/lhb-lhb0000359.pdf">should stand out</a>, but Mack’s photo was distinct.</p> <p>With all these problematic practices combined, we can see how Mack was misidentified and convicted.</p> <p>In 2020, a team of eyewitness experts published <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/lhb-lhb0000359.pdf">nine evidence-based recommendations </a>for conducting identification procedures.</p> <p>These recommendations serve to reduce mistaken identifications and enhance accurate ones.</p> <p>The recommendations address the problematic practices in Mack’s case, but also include things like making sure there is sufficient evidence to place a suspect in a lineup, and giving appropriate instructions to witnesses during the procedure.</p> <p>Identification procedures should also be video recorded to identify any poor practices.</p> <p>While these recommendations will go a long way to reducing wrongful convictions resulting from faulty eyewitness identifications, they will only be effective if followed by police.</p> <p>The next step is ensuring these recommendations are embedded into everyday policing practice.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214844/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hayley-cullen-423538"><em>Hayley Cullen</em></a><em>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-mistaken-identity-can-lead-to-wrongful-convictions-214844">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Fatal disease often mistaken for sunburn

<p><span>A new report has found that many people aren’t aware of the symptoms of meningococcal disease with many mistaking the bacterial infection for sunburn.</span></p> <p><span>A national campaign is urging Australians to educate themselves of the early signs of the potentially deadly disease.</span></p> <p><span>Despite being rare and treatable, meningococcal can result in death within 24 hours if it is not caught early, warned Professor Robert Booy, head of the clinical research team at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance.</span></p> <p><span>“Meningococcal is a dreadful disease because five to 10 per cent die, 15 to 20 per cent are left with devastating complications and it can come on in just 12 to 24 hours, and it is really important to recognise the early signs to get antibiotic treatment from the doctor,” Prof Booy told AAP.</span></p> <p><span>On Tuesday, Queensland Health confirmed a Year Two student from Brisbane had been diagnosed with meningococcal disease.</span></p> <p><span>The seven-year-old is receiving treatment in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.</span></p> <p><span>Parents were alerted by health authorities but the case is expected to be an isolated one.</span></p> <p><span>James Smith, from Metro North Health Unit, told the <span>Courier-Mail</span>, “The chance of any further linked cases within the community is very low.”</span></p> <p><span>If the disease is not treated fast enough, it can be deadly.</span></p> <p><span>Last month, 19-year-old Emma-Kate McGrath from Victoria died from the disease.</span></p> <p><span>Research commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline found 41 per cent of respondents were unaware of the specific symptoms.</span></p> <p><span>22 per cent of respondents mistook the infection for other ailments with 2 per cent believing it was cancer, 16 per cent thought it was flu and 4 per cent thought it was sunburn.</span></p> <p><span>Professor Booy says the disease will normally present itself in two forms, meningococcal septicaemia (blood poisoning) or meningococcal meningitis (In the brain and spinal cord).</span></p> <p><span>The symptoms for both include having a high fever and rash which starts as small dots and increases to purple patches.</span></p> <p><span>Cold hands and feet are another symptom of blood poisoning.</span></p> <p><span>“The signs are a bit vague but the rash is telltale,” Prof Booy said.</span></p> <p><span>He explained that in some cases the rash can come later so people should look for other symptoms and rely on their “instinct”.</span></p> <p><span>Professor Mike Starr, a paediatrician and infectious disease doctor at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, says the disease can be prevented by vaccination.</span></p> <p><span>The routine immunisations children receive only protect them against one of six main strains of the disease, meningococcal C.</span></p> <p><span>Professor Boy explained a young child can still be susceptible to the other strains and both the W and Y strains are on the rise.</span></p> <p><em>To find out more about meningococcal disease you can head to <a href="http://myvaccination.com.au/knowmeningococcal/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>KnowMeningococcal.com.au</strong></span></a>.</em></p>

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Bearded man mistaken for girlfriend on international flight

<p>A burly bouncer was allowed to fly from England to Germany, despite looking nothing like the petite brown-haired beauty shown on his passport.</p> <p>The shocking security stuff-up happened when 6'3" bouncer Josh Reed picked up his girlfriend's passport by mistake as he made his way to London's Stansted Airport to jet off on a football trip.</p> <p>It wasn't until the Ryanair flight had landed in Dortmund that Reed realised he was actually carrying the passport of his pregnant partner.</p> <p>Despite increased security measures around the world - not one person noticed that Reed was flying on a different passport.</p> <p>Speaking to <em>TheLadBible</em>, Reed told of his shock at the mistake.</p> <p>"I was just completely shocked at how the hell I look like a small brunette female.</p> <p>"It's terrible that it wasn't noticed at all."</p> <p><img width="500" height="333" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/18959/bouncer-in-text-_500x333.jpg" alt="Bouncer (1)"/></p> <p>Luckily Reed was able to get through German security using his driver’s licence. His girlfriend then managed to courier his passport to him for the return leg home.</p> <p>"Just makes me wonder how many people are going in and out of the country with passports that look like them, let alone a opposite sex passport," Reed added.</p> <p>This is not as uncommon as people might think. Just last week there was a story about a woman who managed to board the wrong plane, with the wrong airline - all under the wrong name.</p> <p>The incident is reported to have happened at Taiwan Airport when a woman, known as "Ms Hong" was flying to Hong Kong.</p> <p>The first error in the series of incredible events happened when she checked into the Cathay Pacific desk - instead of Hong Kong Airlines.</p> <p>Despite checking in with the wrong carrier, Hong was processed. She was also holding a boarding pass that belonged to a man with the same surname, also flying to Hong Kong.</p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/10-usa-destinations-with-spectacular-scenery/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 USA destinations with spectacular scenery</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/top-10-landmarks-to-visit-in-2016/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Top 10 landmarks to visit in 2016</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/10-aussie-wildlife-parks-you-have-to-visit/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 Aussie wildlife parks you have to visit</strong></em></span></a></p>

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