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Poisoners on Trial

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Criminology of Homicidal Poisoning

Abstract

When a poisoner is brought to trial, the different phases revolve around presenting and evaluating certain evidence. It must be shown that the deceased died from poisoning, the accused administered the fatal dose , and the accused intended to kill (or grievously harm) the victim in doing so. The character of the perpetrator, the role and credibility of witnesses , the presentation of technical (often toxicological) evidence, and the circumstantial nature of some evidence takes on particular importance. As the trial concludes, the judge’s summing up is influential and their comments at sentencing often attract press and public attention.

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Correspondence to Michael Farrell .

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Farrell, M. (2017). Poisoners on Trial. In: Criminology of Homicidal Poisoning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59117-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59117-9_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-59116-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-59117-9

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