In the Matter of John v Harris: A Detailed Case/Crime Analysis

This case study presents a detailed analysis of the criminal case involving John Prisk and the death of Joshua Harris. The report examines various materials, including the autopsy report, court outcomes, and statements from John Prisk and other involved parties. The analysis explores the circumstantial evidence surrounding Joshua's death, with consideration given to John Prisk's prior criminal record and his relationship with both Joshua and Harris. The report concludes with opinions suggesting John Prisk may not be directly responsible for the murder, despite initial accusations and circumstantial evidence. Investigative suggestions are provided, emphasizing the need for further examination of Harris's potential involvement and a deeper look into the dynamics of the relationships involved. Desklib provides access to this and many other solved assignments to aid students in their studies.

Running Head: CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
2
Table of Contents
Caveats and Disclaimers..................................................................................................................3
Qualifications...................................................................................................................................3
Materials examined..........................................................................................................................4
Examinations...................................................................................................................................5
Summary of opinions.......................................................................................................................6
Overview..........................................................................................................................................8
Physical Evidence..........................................................................................................................10
Victimology...................................................................................................................................11
Conclusions....................................................................................................................................17
Investigative Suggestions..............................................................................................................18
Reference list.................................................................................................................................23

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
3
XYZ, PhD
Criminology Department
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Bond University, Gold Coast
Queensland
4229
Phone [phone]
Email [e-mail]
Report for: ABC; PQR
In the matter of John v Harris
Caveats and Disclaimers
As a student of Criminal Law at the Queensland University of Technology, I have visited
the crime scene before I gave any opinion about the incident of Joshua’s murder. There is no
eyewitness and there is only circumstantial evidence available in the entire case. I have visited
the witness, who is my client Mr. John Prisk. He has only seen the entire incident about how
Joshua has died. However, I have no access to Harris as she fled. The only things I recorded are
the account of John Prisk. I also have access to previous criminal records of John Prisk from
Queensland Police Department. In order to access these records, I have to show them strong
evidence supporting my reason for viewing the report.
In addition to that, I have seen the court reports where a case, where John Prisk is
involved, has been judged. Most of the judgment, I have seen that the judgment has been gone
against him. The analysis of courts report will be useful in later of this case.
Qualifications

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
4
I have accomplished my master degree from the Queensland University of criminology
where I have studied and practiced on different criminal cases of Queensland courts. Previously I
have accomplished my bachelor degree in social science from the Queensland University of
Technology where I have gathered knowledge on the subject of psychology.
I have written some books on criminal cases and my experience in this ground. I have
written books on the topic victimology and the forensic report associated with the criminal cases.
I have also written on the chapters of the risk assessment, profiling and reasoning.
These experiences have helped me to enhance my intellectuality in the field of criminal case
analysis and this experience level has improved my writing style as well as analysis style.
Materials examined
I have compared and compiled the report by conducting a thorough examination of
available materials. The number of direct evidence is low, rather strong circumstantial pieces of
evidence are available in the crime scene. A thorough examination has been conducted based on
eyewitness accounts. In order to perform a thorough examination, the following materials have
been concerned:
Autopsy Report of the child who has been murdered stands as the primary evidence of
this case. In the autopsy report, it is clearly mentioned that the child has been killed due to severe
injuries at neck arises from hitting the child with a long thin object. A sign of abrasions in the
neck is reported at the autopsy report. Some injuries are partially healed.
Another material that I have examined is Court outcomes. Many cases related to John
Prisk have been reviewed at different courts in Australia and the court order remains more or less
the same for all courts. John Prisk has been convicted of the charge of murder in every court and

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
5
he either fined and has to serve probation for a given amount of periods or only fined for his
crime.
The record shows that John Prisk has a previous record in crime. However, in this case,
the attack toward his kid Joshua has not been initiated by John Prisk but prepared by Harris,
Prisk’s wife. However, it has been also found by me that, Prisk does not at all like his son
Joshua. This record may work against John Prisk, as the incident is synonymous to child abuse.
Harris has made many domestic violence incidents against John Prisk and in such cases, police
have to be called. This evidence can be used in favor of John Prisk.
As the case study suggests client John Prisk is not involved in direct murder but has been
reported to hit Joshua unlawfully and deliberately in his head for a number of times. The report
suggests that these injuries have led to Joshua's death.
The case is entirely based on medical reports and the relationship between John Prisk and
Joshua and Harris. Each of the evidence can be used in the case of John Prisk.
The written statement of John Prisk is another material in this case. In his written statement, John
has stated that he is not at all violent if so, Harris would never keep kids to him. This can be used
in favor of John Prisk.
Examinations
I have performed specific examinations for determining the relevance of this case study,
which is thorough examination of the forensic report of Joshua Harris, a brief background of the
case study, statement of John Prisk and court outcomes. This has helped me to determine the
ground of plaintiff and defendant of this case study. In this context, I also have different
adjudication of similar cases of court for determining the relevance of judge’s adjudication. This

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
6
has helped to realize the modification, which is needed for providing further suggestions in this
case.
For delineating proper comparisons of judge’s adjudication related to the case, I have
studied different legal action associated with child abusement and criminology. For developing
my knowledge in this regards I also have studied news articles by which I have made a
successful examination on this topic. In the examination process, I have considered thorough
reading different articles on the related case studies. I have examined different laws and
subsection and their application on similar cases of criminology. I also have consulted with my
senior advocates who have performed analysis further for realizing different perspectives of this
case. I have communicated about my opinion related to this case study with my seniors and
assessors, which have helped me to realize the aspects of different orders. In order to realize the
autopsy report more effectively, I have considered suggestions of my friend who worked in
government pathological laboratory.
I also have examined the statement of eyewitness in order to realize the faults of Harris in
this case. In order to make a proper assessment, I have compared the statement of eyewitness
with a statement of Harris. This has helped me to examine the critical issues associated with this
case.
Summary of opinions
After going through the details of the case study, I can conclude the following opinions:
❏ John Prisk is not the murderer but has been convicted to the murder
❏ Although he has been arrested by Police for accusing murder him in deliberate injuries in
the head of Joshua, there is no direct evidence regarding this, but based on the

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
7
circumstantial evidence, it can be stated that John Prisk is not directly responsible for the
murder.
❏ John Prisk has past records in crime, and therefore he is not free from any kind of
suspense. The police have arrested him largely based on these records and on other
circumstantial evidence.
❏ Joshua has been requested to stay with his father John Prisk and he voluntarily lives with
his father John Prisk. From this point, I can infer that Joshua has been willing to live with
his father without hesitation. Moreover, the neighborhood has not reported any kind of
violence and shouting incidents occurring between father and son. This suggests that
John has not murdered his son, Joshua at least intentionally.
❏ In his own statement, John Prisk has argued that if he would have been the murderer, his
wife Harris have not let him keep Joshua with him. Past criminal records of John Prisk,
has been well known by Harris, his wife. Therefore, there is a low probability that Harris
does not know the past records of John Prisk. Moreover, both John Prisk and Harris were
previously married and had kids. Their relationship needs to go at a resonant level before
they have kids and therefore it can be inferred that John Prisk and Harris had a good
relationship, and therefore John Prisk has not hit Joshua intentionally.
❏ In that very same day, when the incident has happened, John Prisk has sold DVD player
to gather money for Harris, so that she can travel to the airport by bus. This suggests their
intimate relationship. Joshua is their own child and he does not belong to any other in
their previous life. Therefore, it is evident that they will eventually love their child and
will not deliberately hit in Joshua's head. The absence of direct evidence in the crime
scene is thus explained.

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
8
❏ An adequate amount of lunch has been served to Joshua, which indicates that John Prisk
has well played his role as a father. It indicates that deliberate hit is not possible from the
end of John Prisk.
The case study has also suggested that Harris has perpetrated the injuries seen in Joshua's neck.
The women have been pleaded guilty for the intentional murder of their son Joshua.
Overview
The criminal charges on John Prisk who is 37-year-Old Caucasian person can be
considered as one of the focus of this case study analysis. John Prisk has involved with a
committed relationship with Kristin Harris a New Zealander. Although they both have a child in
their previous relationship, they have three newborns in their newly committed relationship.
The relationship between our client and Ms. Harris was rocky from the beginning, which
has caused several criminal acquisitions in the police station. However, for this domestic
violence, the children have suffered several times. According to the record of Department of
Child Service (DOCS), this issue has occurred several times during the relationship of John and
Kristin. According to the verbal declaration of Kristin at court from the beginning of the
relationship, our client did not like Joshua. However, this is a verbal assertion and cannot be
granted as effective in this regards.
John and Kristin are in this committed relationship from 2002. The birth year of Joshua is
2005 and the year of the incident of Joshua’s death is 2007. According to the situational analysis
of the case, it can be stated that during the incident our client was taking a bath. After this
incident, our client also has called 000, which can be considered as another major consideration
associated with this case. During this incident, the circumstantial evidence was the neighbor of
John who was present at the situation. However, from the case overview of the postmortem

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
9
report, it can be stated that the reason behind death was a severe head injury. In the post mortem
report, it is also mentioned the presence of blunt force trauma which can be considered as the
main sign of head injury.
According to the statement of our client, it is mentioned that John has agreed to keep
children with Kristin in their after marriage life which can be considered as one of the major
argument in this regards. As per the statement of John, it also can be noted that all the time he
drove the car and before the day of the main incident, this family had traveled for fishing where
John drove the car since Kristin lost her license of driving.
The statement of John opposes this argument, which can be considered as one of the
major consideration as one of the major evidence in this case study. In this report, the proper
analysis is delineated by considering the statement of the client. This brief statement has
compared with the overview of the study, which shows several dissimilarities, which can be
considered as another major concern of this report.
The court outcomes also provide a brief illustration of the scenario in which our client
was charged with penalties several times. Moreover, the court outcomes also show that John has
several criminal charges, which need to be considered as the background influence behind this
criminal attempt of the client. John also has records related to the imprisonment, which can also
make an impact on the adjudication of the judges of Queensland court. Hence, considerations of
this court’s previous adjudication have been considered in this regards.
However, according to the statement of several eyewitnesses, it can be realized that the
acquisitions of Harris on our client John are not truthful. This can be considered as one of the
major consideration related to this study. From this statement of eyewitnesses, it also can be

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
10
realized that Harris did not treat with Joshua as a mother and this can be considered as a major
fact associated with this case.
Physical Evidence
The current report of this case suggests that shreds of evidence are going against Harris.
The caregiver, neighbor and false pieces of evidence made by Harris, are not supportive of her
statement. Through the forensic examination report, it has been obtained that Joshua is observed
with bruises during every absence of Harris. Nevertheless, according to the defense’s theory,
Joshua has been excessively punished by Harris while separating him from the siblings. This
circumstance clearly defines the violent nature of Harris. The assessment of evidence suggests
that victim could have survived for a while even after the fatal attack on him with
unconsciousness.
It is identified through the assessment of the victim that petechial hemorrhages observed
in the eyes of Joshua, which strictly supports the fact of the attack on the victim. An autopsy test
is conducted after the death of Joshua and thereby plenty of landmark evidence has been
emerged out. It is observed that the head of Joshua injured severely with partially shaved.
Besides this, the left-upper occipital scalp is found with a combination of the bruise and red
abrasion. Likewise, the lateral right eyebrow is observed with a pale-yellow bruise and red bruise
is identified in the left eye of Joshua.
Nasal fractures are also identified through the analysis of Joshua during the autopsy test
and irregularity in nasal bones observed thereby with a healed fracture. The hypoxic-ischaemic
brain injury along with the brain swelling is considered as the sole reason behind the death of
Joshua. In addition, blunt force trauma has been identified through the examination of the dead
body. The childhood injury theory is strongly opposed by the autopsy report of Joshua and the

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
11
presence of abnormal injury has made this case more complicated. The report has identified that
Joshua has faced punishments by electrical cords. Likewise, it has been invented through the
report that plastic spoons are used to beat Joshua during the punishment. Moreover, a 2-week old
arm fracture is observed in the body of Joshua that is consistent with the punishment statement.
It is seen that most of the injuries are not parallel to childhood injuries and caused by serious ill-
treatment.
It is mentioned that Joshua was only 2-years old while the incident happened to him.
Thus, it is clear that the head of Joshua was very soft during this age and object can be used to
harm the victim at this age. The head injury might have been caused by hand or foot.
Nevertheless, the possibility of an attack with a blunt object is also highlighted through the
current autopsy report of Joshua. However, bronchopneumonia is observed in the body of Joshua
and this is considered as one of the most viable evidence in support of head injury and
complications. Despite this, it is needful to mention that the complication only found in people
with crucial head injury. Assessing other factors it has been seen that disarray in the room is not
observed. Most importantly, the absence of abrasions around the neck clearly defines that during
strangle, Joshua has not attempted any movement.
Victimology
Victimology is a scientific, comprehensive study of victims, which includes the victim’s
demographic information, history of the medical and psychological condition and past criminal
records (if any) and any other information relevant to the case. The objective of victimology is to
provide context, direction, and connection about any victim when he is charged with any crime.
Victimologists also find and analyze the true identification of the victim, their social status, their
daily routine and activities, and any factors influential to their committed crime (if any) or any

CASE/CRIME ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT
12
kind of harm and loss. The current case is involved with three characters and among them, John
Prisk; the father of Joshua has been accused of deliberate murder. Therefore, in this case, John
Prick is the main victim and therefore his character is to be evaluated.
Name: John Prisk (Accused of murder)
Age: 37
Sex: Male
Weight: Not Known
Hair Color: Black
Medical History
As per the case study, John Prisk has no psychological defect whatsoever. He is mentally
and physically fit.
Crime History
The case study suggests that John Prisk has past criminal records. Therefore, it is
expected that reflection of his past life will be reflected in his present life. It is not impossible for
him to commit any crime. The police have charged him at the Radcliffe hospital because of
strong circumstantial evidence and his past criminal records. According to John Prick’s wife
Kristin Harris, John does not like Joshua and therefore, the incident has happened. John has been
charged with various incidents of domestic violence against his wife Kristin Harris. In many
occasions, police have to interfere to resolve the problem. Due to an increasing number of
domestic violence, “The Department of Child Services (DOCS)” has been also interfered and
taken away children from their infancy. The cases of domestic violence have been concluded
after three of their children have been removed from their infancy, during which Harris used to
reside at 29 Windsor Street in Brisbane. The impact of domestic violence is severe for Joshua,