Fire: February 2009 Archives

A judge will rule on whether defense attorneys can hire an expert on false confessions for the March trial of Frederick Anthony Robinson, an Apollo, PA, man who is accused of setting a house fire that killed four people.  Attorney Chuck Pascal wants a forensic psychology expert to explain to a jury the pathology of false confessions.  The expert would discuss "why

people may falsely confess, how mental illness impacts that or may impact that," Pascal said.

Psychiatrists have diagnosed Robinson with schizoaffective disorder and say he has a history of psychiatric disorders and low intelligence. The expert, Allison D. Redlich of New York, is nationally known in the field and has agreed to testify next month on Robinson's behalf.

Excerpted from PIttsburghTribune.com.

More than one arsonist would have been responsible for several of the blazes which erupted in Victoria over the weekend, says fire expert and Australian National University research fellow Dr. Damon Muller. About half of all bush fires in Australia are deliberately lit by fire bugs and given that up to 400 fires hit Victoria over the weekend at varying locations across the state, the expert believes more than one arsonist was at work. HeraldSun.com also reports:

"Without putting a figure on it, it would be surprising if some of them were not deliberately lit, just by virtue of the significant number,'' Dr Muller said.  "And by virtue of the diversity of locations there is probably a number of perpetrators.''  Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's description of arsonists as "mass murderers'' in the circumstances was warranted and any offenders would be pursued with relevant murder charges.