Incompatible CCTV and lost remote delay murder trial

Published on 29 Mar 2007

A murder trial was delayed by up to eight months after police and prosecutors were unable to use CCTV footage due to compatibility errors and plain carelessness, reports The Register.

Court proceedings in Stamford, Connecticut were held up when police were unable to provide the defence with a copy of CCTV footage that showed a fatal shooting. A police copy of the film was made on incompatible equipment, making it unwatchable. The police then purchased a machine that could make a suitable copy and then lost the remote control, rendering it useless. They then claimed that bureaucratic red-tape led to a delay in getting funds to to buy a new remote.