West Bank rape case: Lie detector test of Palestinian suspect was not done in Arabic - Haaretz

Posted: 24 Jun 2019 12:56 PM PDT

The polygraph test police gave to Mahmoud Qatusa, the suspect in the rape of a seven-year-old girl from a West Bank settlement, was in Hebrew and not in Arabic, his native language.

During the first test, conducted at the settlement's police station five days after his arrest, he was asked whether he raped the girl and answered in the negative. The examiners decided it was impossible to achieve unequivocal results and later conducted a second test with the same questions, in which they said he was found to be lying.

His attorney Nashef Darwish said that although Qatusa speaks Hebrew, the fact he was not tested in Arabic is further proof of negligence by the investigative team. "It's clear to all that such a test must be conducted in the suspect's mother tongue," he said.

On Monday the police gathered what was described as "significant" findings at the girl's home, but it is not clear whether these findings link Qatusa to the crime. Investigators also took some of the child's clothes, saying the exact date of incident remains unclear.

Police have records of other Palestinians employed at the girl's school and an investigative team is trying to reach them to see whether they have any connection to the case.

In light of this, the victim was questioned again on Monday by a special interrogator for juveniles, and on Tuesday a military judge will decide whether Qatusa should remain in custody.

A polygraph exam is not considered legal evidence for a criminal proceeding, but interrogators can use it either to clear potential suspects or to reinforce their assessments as to whether to continue pursuing an investigation.

The result of Qatusa's second test encouraged investigators to believe he should remain in custody, and these results were presented in court.

A number of polygraph specialists said that in cases involving the kinds of suspicions against Qatusa, it is preferable to have the suspect write a statement of innocence in his native language, and then have investigators ask about its veracity.

Military prosecutors and attorneys have been discussing how to proceed with the case with local police and the heads of investigations division. During these discussions officials have looked at the possibility of releasing Qatusa to house arrest.

Additional details have come to light regarding the girl's identification of Qatusa as the suspect: Her mother spoke to her about him before the girl identified him. Haaretz learned that the mother said in her testimony – given a few hours before Qatusa's arrest – that the same day a teacher at her daughter's school told her that Qatusa was exhibiting suspicious behavior.

"She told me the custodian constantly looks at his iPhone and fiddles with his pants," the mother said. "I think there is a close connection between him and the person who assaulted my daughter near the school."

She said her daughter said that Qatusa had arrived with a helper, another Palestinian, to fix a closet in her classroom. A short time later the girl pointed at Qatusa when asked who had assaulted her, and he was arrested soon afterward. A search of Qatusa's cellphone did not reveal any pornographic photos and found nothing linking him to the crime.

Jeremy Kyle producer unable to say how accurate lie detector tests were - The Independent

Posted: 25 Jun 2019 05:12 AM PDT

The executive producer of the recently suspended Jeremy Kyle Show was unable to say how accurate the lie detector tests were that were conducted on the programme.

Having contestants take part in lie detector tests has been a key component of the programme's format since the ITV talk show was launched in 2005.

But when questioned by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee about the authenticity of the tests during a parliamentary inquiry into reality TV, Tom McLennan, the show's executive producer, could only say that the tests were "not 100 per cent accurate".

We'll tell you what's true. You can form your own view.

From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

According to Mr McLennan, individuals who were featured on The Jeremy Kyle Show were clearly informed that the results of lie detector tests may not always be reliable.

However, the television producer could not provide the members of the select committee with a percentage range of the accuracy of said tests, an admission which Damian Collins MP, chair of the committee, said was "irresponsible" and "astonishing".

Mr McLennan stated that "practitioners" of lie detector tests say they have a "high level of accuracy" that is not always guaranteed.

"I'm not a lie detector expert," he added, explaining that the accuracy of lie detector tests is "disputed" among experts.

During the parliamentary inquiry, Mr Collins cited research which has found that lie detector tests may only be accurate in approximately two-thirds of cases.

Jo Stevens, a Labour MP and member of the committee, questioned how participants of The Jeremy Kyle Show could give their "informed consent" to take part in lie detector tests if they're unaware of their accuracy.

Julian Bellamy, managing director of ITV Studios, and Graham Stanier, director of aftercare on The Jeremy Kyle Show, were also in attendance during the parliamentary inquiry.

Both echoed Mr McLennan's statement that the lie detector tests are "not 100 per cent accurate", with neither able to provide more detailed figures.

According to the American Psychological Association, those who take part in lie detector tests should "remain sceptical about any conclusion wrung from a polygraph".

A polygraph is a device that measures factors such as an individual's blood pressure and heart rate in order to determine whether they're answering questions truthfully.

Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds

Earlier this year, it was announced that The Jeremy Kyle Show had been suspended indefinitely following the death of Steve Dymond, who had been a guest on the show.

Shortly afterwards, Dymond's son Carl Woolley claimed his father had said that "Kyle really laid into me", telling The Daily Mail: "Presumably that was at the point when they announced the lie detector result."

A statement released by ITV said the studio and The Jeremy Kyle Show were "shocked and saddened" at the news of Dymond's death.

Search This Blog

Antipolygraph