Farquharson Case Study

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On the 4th of September 2005, Robert Farquharson drove his vehicle off the Princes Highway near Winchelsea, Victoria, into an adjacent dam. As a result, Farquharson’s three sons, Jai, aged 10, Tyler, 7 and Bailey, 2, drowned at the scene (R v Farquharson, 2009). The prosecution case against Farquharson was that he deliberately drove into the dam and intended to murder his sons in an act of revenge against his ex-wife. The defence however, argued that the boys’ deaths were due to a tragic accident after Farquharson suffered from a coughing fit at the wheel and was rendered unconscious (DPP v Farquharson, 2010). In 2007, Farquharson was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole, however this sentence was appealed on 24 specified grounds…show more content…
In the case of Robert Farquharson however, the offender was immediately apparent. Thus the investigation was focused on determining whether the victims had died as a result of a tragic accident or a deliberate and premeditated act of revenge, perpetrated by Farquharson (Tyson, 2009). The Murder Investigation Manual (2006) separates the elements of a homicide investigative process into two distinct stages. First, the initial response stage is the beginning of the investigation after police are notified of a potential homicide incident. The primary objective of first responders is to preserve life, however from the outset an investigative approach should be adopted. This involves: preserving the scene, securing evidence (including potential witnesses), identifying victim(s) and identifying potential suspects (Murder Investigation Manual, 2006). Secondly, the ongoing investigation stage follows the initial response and involves the careful development and implementation of an investigative strategy. Furthermore, lines of enquiry identified during the initial response are followed up to potentially identify or eliminate

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