The esteemed allergist and immunologist Bill Frankland died last month. His achievements include championing the use of the pollen count in weather forecasts. In 2012, Frankland, then 100, appeared as an expert witness.
The defendant claimed he had lost control of his car and crashed it because he had been stung by a bee. Frankland agreed this was possible, but in his opinion the delayed-response reactions to bee stings only occurred after there had been initial symptoms following the sting. As there had been no such symptoms, the accused was found guilty.
Frankland was a regular attendee at the Bond Solon Annual Expert Witness Conference and had a keen interest in the expert witness world. Do read his obituaries including that in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/apr/20/william-frankland-obituary
Perhaps the “sell by date” of experts will have been extended by his example!
This article was first published on 12th May 2020.