The Tainted Trial of Farah Jama

Julie Szego

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Paperback

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English

Dennis Jones & Associates
01 April 2014

Biography; True crime

0n 21st July 2008, 21-year-old Somali, Farah Jama was sentenced to six years behind bars for the rape of a middle-aged woman as she lay unconscious in a Melbourne nightclub. Throughout the trial Jama had maintained his innocence against the accusations he committed such a predatory, heinous crime. But the Prosecution had one 'rock solid' piece of evidence that nailed the accused-his DNA. Nearly 18 months after Jama's incarceration, his conviction was overturned when a mother's profound faith in her son's innocence, a prosecutor's tenacious pursuit of truth and justice and a defence lawyer's belief in his client, brought forth revelations that overturned one of the worst miscarriages of justice in Victorian legal history. When journalist and lawyer, Julie Szego, set out to explore how a travesty of such magnitude could occur, she assumed she could tell the tale with journalistic detachment, delivering judgment from on high. Instead, she found an intriguing and confronting story about the heartache of migration and the trials of integration, cultural taboos and gender wars, and the unseen prejudice that casts its spell over even the most enlightened minds. Farah Jama's story made her question the wisdom of relying exclusively on DNA evidence as proof of guilt, and it challenged her long-held belief that the justice system was vacuum-sealed in reason.

By: Julie Szego
Imprint: Dennis Jones & Associates
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 385mm
Weight: 385g
ISBN: 9780987381149
ISBN 10: 0987381148
Publication Date: 01 April 2014
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for The Tainted Trial of Farah Jama

A fascinating account of what can go wrong if the presumption of innocence is just a catch-cry. This book shows how dangerous it is when DNA evidence is allowed to trump common sense. I did not know of this trial until I read the book: I could not wait to find out how it went so wrong. The DNA evidence made no sense; the verdict seemed irrational. The result was a terrible injustice. To everyone. Julian Burnside AO QC, human rights and refugee advocate High quality journalism may have fallen away in our newspapers, but Julie Szego demonstrates its enduring vitality in this story of a grievous injustice redressed. She reveals in painstaking detail not only the professional negligence behind Farah Jama's conviction for rape, but also the complexity of his Somali culture striving to assert itself on Australia's multi-cultural stage. This is a book that deserves a very long shelf-life. Robert Hillman, award-winning author