The Alibi Hidden in a Weather Report
A man swore it was raining the night he was accused of a killing, but no one checked. Years into his sentence, an investigator pulls decades-old weather station logs that prove the prosecution's timeline couldn't have happened. This is a story about how the most mundane public record can outweigh eyewitnesses.
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Andrew Mallard spent twelve years in prison for a murder despite a total lack of physical evidence.
Meteorological records proved Mallard was dry during a heavy rainstorm that occurred during the crime window.
The High Court of Australia found that police suppressed weather data that could have exonerated Mallard.
Forensic DNA and palm print evidence eventually identified Simon Rochford as the actual offender.
Certified weather data from the national centers transforms casual observations into authenticated forensic evidence.
Metadata like station moves and thermometer replacements ensures the legal pedigree of historical weather records.
- 01Intro1 min
- 02The Conviction of Andrew Mallard2 min
- 03The Meteorological Alibi3 min
- 04The Science of Legal Weather Data3 min
- 05Outro1 min
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