Tasmania Police's Gerard Dutton has been honoured by New Zealand for his role in having a Kiwi outlaw motorcycle gang member jailed for murder. Picture: DANIEL McCULLOCH
WHAT happens when Tasmania Police sends a crack ballistic expert across the ditch?
Crooks go to jail.
And for his efforts in having a Kiwi outlaw motorcycle gang member jailed for murder, Sergeant Gerard Dutton was on Tuesday honoured by New Zealand.
Sergeant Dutton's evidence was crucial in seeing Aaron James Harvey imprisoned for life in 2008.
The Lone Legion Motorcycle Club member had argued a second "mystery" shooter had shot victim Carl MacDonald outside the bikie clubhouse.
That's when New Zealand's Police Commissioner called on Sergeant Dutton, whose past work included the Ivan Milat and Martin Bryant cases.
"By identifying and examining these extraordinary marks on the bullet I was able to link the bullet to the gun and disprove the defendant's argument that there was a second mystery shooter," the head of Tasmania Police's ballistic unit said.
"Ultimately the case hinged solely upon being able to relate the bullet to the sawn-off rifle used and for over four days in the New Zealand High Court I explained the significance of this evidence."
The evidence was written in a paper that yesterday earnt Sergeant Dutton New Zealand's Henry Delaforce award.
University of Tasmania academics Associate Professor Roberta Julian and Dr Sally Kelty were also presented with a joint award for the best chapter in a book for their work on forensic evidence.