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“Auckland barrister Deborah Hollings presents a documentary that follows the High Court trial of Dr Vicki Calder, who was charged with attempting to kill her former lover, plant biologist Professor David Lloyd, using a chemical neurotoxin called acrylamide.” (The NZ Listener)
“The high Court trial of Dr. Vicki Calder, the so-called ‘poisoned professor case’, has been one of the most fascinating episodes in recent legal history, and created several legal ‘firsts’. Calder was charged with attempting to kill her former lover, renown[ed] plant biologist Professor David Lloyd using a tasteless substance, a chemical neurotoxin known as acrylamide.
“The case was immensely significant and received a great deal of media scrutiny at the time. It required more overseas scientific experts than any other trial in New Zealand legal history, and the total of eleven weeks in Court cost an estimated $2 million. Vicki Calder’s legal aid bill was expected to be higher than that for John Barlow. The documentary shows the titanic struggle for Crown prosecutors against the incisive, dogmatic style of famous Dunedin barrister, Judith Ablett-Kerr, a fiery legal traditionalist whose domination of the courtroom was one of the major features of the trials.” (Ninox Films synopsis)