The Star: December 02, 2021

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday December 2 2021 The Star
NEWS 7
Polo star death: Bid to quash conviction fails
• By Devon Bolger
AN ENGINEER hoping to have
his conviction quashed for hiding
the clothes of a US polo star after
she died at his house has had his
appeal dismissed.
Joseph Douglas McGirr was
found guilty of attempting to
pervert the course of justice at a
trial in March last year.
It related to the death of Lauren
Biddle, who died suddenly,
most likely of a drug overdose,
at McGirr’s Clifton property on
October 22, 2018.
He denied supplying the
22-year-old the class B controlled
drug MDMA, also known as
ecstasy, but was found guilty
of burying her clothes and
belongings.
Judge Tom Gilbert sentenced
McGirr to 20 months’
imprisonment but later cancelled
the jail sentence and substituted
it with eight months’ home
detention.
In a Court of Appeal decision,
McGirr argued the judge
misdirected the jury as to the
grounds for conviction, in an
unspecified manner, and erred in
ruling the proposed evidence of a
medical expert inadmissible.
“The written submissions of Mr
Bailey [McGirr’s lawyer] argued
that a miscarriage of justice
occurred because the judge
omitted to direct the jury that
they needed to be sure
Mr McGirr interfered, not only
with the police investigation
into Ms Biddle’s death, but also
with the prosecution which
might have arisen out of the
investigation,” it said.
But the court has denied the
appeal.
“We are not satisfied there was
any material misdirection which
could be viewed as resulting in
a miscarriage of justice,” the
decision said.
He was acquitted on the drug
charges by a jury late last year but
was found guilty on a charge of
attempting to pervert the court of
justice.
During the four-day trial last
year, the jury heard two accounts
of what happened on that tragic
night – one version from North
Canterbury polo player Guy
APPEAL:
Lauren
Biddle
died
suddenly
in October
2018 at
Joseph
McGirr’s
Clifton
property.
PHOTO:
GEORGE
HEARD
Higginson and one from McGirr.
McGirr himself took the
witness stand to explain how
he was “freaking out” after
witnessing someone just die
“in front of my eyes” and how
he buried Biddle’s clothes and
belongings in an act of “spiritual
reconciliation.”
He claimed he had an
“innate desire to do something
reverential” with her belongings
and wanted to “commemorate
her life.”
“At no time did I ever try to
hide anything from the police,”
McGirr told the court.
“I was very upset and shocked,
affected by alcohol and drugs.”
Biddle’s bikini top has never
been found, the court heard.
•Teenage girl risk back behind
bars, page 12
– NZ Herald
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