Posted on 08/09/2011 1:01:41 AM PDT by mrjesse
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Rosie, the first judicially approved courtroom dog in New York, was in the witness box here nuzzling a 15-year-old girl who was testifying that her father had raped and impregnated her. Rosie sat by the teenager’s feet. At particularly bad moments, she leaned in. When the trial ended in June with the father’s conviction, the teenager “was most grateful to Rosie above all,” said David A. Crenshaw, a psychologist who works with the teenager.
“She just kept hugging Rosie,” he continued.
Now an appeal planned by the defense lawyers is placing Rosie at the heart of a legal debate that will test whether there will be more Rosies in courtrooms in New York and, possibly, other states. [snip] His lawyers, David S. Martin and Steven W. Levine of the public defender’s office, have raised a series of objections that they say seems likely to land the case in New York’s highest court. They argue that as a therapy dog, Rosie responds to people under stress by comforting them, whether the stress comes from confronting a guilty defendant or lying under oath.
But they say jurors are likely to conclude that the dog is helping victims expose the truth. “Every time she stroked the dog,” Mr. Martin said in an interview, “it sent an unconscious message to the jury that she was under stress because she was telling the truth.” ...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
how about a cat?
but no badgers. that would be badgering the witness.
If the defendant has prior convictions, make it a porcupine.
What a liberal crock.
Doggieping!
What about lounge lizards? Or church mice? [tiny little hymns in the background]
Wolverines, I want wolverines in the courtroom! They will get the truth out of ya!
Hey lawyers, STFU.............
The dog was slipping answers to girl. One blink of the eyes means yes, two blinks means no, three, I’ve got dirt in my eye.
Anyone else notice how nowadays people are letting their dogs walk them when it used to be people just walking their dogs?
Anyone else notice how nowadays people are letting their dogs walk them when it used to be people walking their dogs?
Just wonder if they did a DNA test on the baby. Could confirm if the father was the father.
It would make the dog a moot point.
The dog is a moot point, damn a dog does what it is trained to do, and yes, it would distort the court room process. DNA evidence is all that is needed here. How stupid is the prosecutor are the judge that let’s his court room be made into a zoo.
Well there is the problem of getting the fathers DNA. He does not have to give a sample.
But it could be obtained in other ways say a father’s brother, or the father’s father, sister or the girl herself.
A male relative is best because the DNA of the Y chromosome is passed from the father only. But of course this is only available if the child is male.
We have moved past that, a judge can order you to give DNA, no different than a finger print in the eye of the law.
If it was your Dad perping on you(Male or Female). I bet you would get a cigar smoking chimp if it would help you put the scum away for many years.
Ho hum, the usual losing lawyer effort to grasp at straws in hoping the appeals process will provide the second byte at the apple.
ummmm,
that might prove CATastrophic to the witness’ credibility......
end it now, no more punnies
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