16 Jan 2012

Memory study could be beneficial for judges

8:14 pm on 16 January 2012

New research from Canada will help judges assess the value of witness evidence, the Criminal Bar Association says.

Neuroscientists at McGill University in Montreal have discovered that memory is not fixed - as has always been thought - but changes slightly with each recollection.

The Criminal Bar Association says defence lawyers often find that under cross-examination, it emerges that witness statements are not reliable.

Association president Tony Bouchier says the research will help judges make decisions about the veracity of evidence presented.

The Neurological Foundation's medical adviser, John Simcock, says when recalling a memory, there is a change in exactly what is remembered with each recollection.

"Over a period of time the memory of the event is really inaccurate; it's not hard-wired like a computer."

Dr Simcock says the research also has implications for authors of autobiographies and accounts of events.