In a special edition of 60 MINUTES, Tara Brown reports on one of the worst miscarriages of justice imaginable:
A high-profile criminal investigation where not only were the failings of the police case inexplicable, they caused catastrophic consequences for six innocent, law-abiding Australians.
Members of the extended Cook family, from the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, ran a much-loved circus school but ended up in prison after being charged with 127 counts of monstrous child sexual abuse.
At the time of the arrests, detectives were quick to publicise their success in identifying and stopping a depraved sex ring.
The only problem: there wasn’t a shred of credible evidence to back up the accusations. Now, having destroyed the lives of blameless people, it might be expected that the New South Wales police would be big enough to apologise for their incompetence. But they’re not.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Gareth Harvey
I was apalled hearing what the Cook famIly has suffered these past 2 years. At the very least they deservecan apology from the NSW police. Has the mad relative who caused all the problem by forcing her children to lie so horrendously going to be prosecuted? Are those children undergoing counselling or other treatment as the stories they told were so horrible & specific they must suffer some trauma.
Carreer point hunting puplic servants.i had 2 custom senior officers make bull shit statements ‘about me.i lost a year of my life .stressed’$15000 $.5 trips to sydney .to have the magisrate dismiss all charges’ and give the crown a lecture on wasting the courts time