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Dealing with Deception in Writing 297

Police interviews

On 1 September and 1 October 1980, Mr and Mrs Chamberlain were interviewed by the police
and gave their explanations. An extract of Mrs Chamberlain’s statement, which was an exhibit
at the subsequent inquest, is set out below in Table 8.3. It is not a full transcript.

The first inquest and follow-up

On 20 February 1981 the inquest was held into Azaria’s death. Forensic evidence indicated:

• the damage to Azaria’s clothing had not been caused by an animal but by sharp instru-
ment

• there was a distinct possibility that the clothes had been buried, dug up and placed in the
position where they were discovered by Mr Goodwin

The coroner concluded that the baby had been killed by a dingo, but incredibly continued to
say that:

• the clothing had been removed, buried and later dug up;
• the body had been disposed of by a person or persons unknown.

This seemed to be the end of the case, but media interest continued and many people sus-
pected – often built on prejudice – that Mr and Mrs Chamberlain had murdered their daughter.
The police felt the same way and sent clothing and other exhibits to the UK for examination
by the eminent pathologist Professor James Cameron. This and other enquiries led to a second
inquest.

The second inquest

On 14 December 1981, the coroner found that Mr and Mrs Chamberlain had murdered their
daughter. His finding was based on what appeared to be overwhelming forensic evidence,
from Professor Cameron and other experts, who stated that:

• Azaria had been decapitated by a human. The bloodstains on her clothing were consistent
with one deep cut rather than a number of tooth marks as would have been the case in a
dingo attack.

• There was no animal saliva on any of the clothes.
• There was no evidence that the body had been dragged, as would have been the case had

the baby been carried away by a dingo.
• Blood stains on the singlet showed that it had been worn the right way around during the

attack but had been reversed inside out when the cut marks were made.
• Professor Cameron had identified bloodstained finger and thumb prints on the right shoul-

der of Azaria’s clothing, suggesting that she had been held in a vertical position in someone’s
left hand while being killed with the right.
• That the body had been buried fully clothed sometime after death and subsequently dug
up when the clothing had been removed.
• Cuts to her clothing had been made by scissors rather than by canine teeth.
• From an analysis of the bloodstains on the clothing, the wounds could not have been in-
flicted by a dingo.