Mr. Big (investigative method)

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Mr. Big is an investigative method used by the Canadian Police to extract a confession from a suspect using undercover agents. It is used in unsolved criminal cases , usually murder.

Police officers set up a fictional criminal organization and seduce the suspect into joining it. You build a relationship with the suspect, gain his trust and involve him in criminal activities (e.g. credit card fraud, selling weapons). If the suspect is involved in the criminal gang, he will be tricked into disclosing information about the crime under investigation. The Mr. Big Technique was developed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in British Columbia in the early 1990s . Since 2008, it has been used in more than 350 cases in Canada. The RCMP said the method cleared 75% of cases. Prosecuted cases resulted in 95% conviction.

method

In a Mr. Big case, the police put the suspect under surveillance, often someone who is socially isolated and financially weak. After the suspect's personality and habits have become clear, a scenario is developed. An undercover agent pretends to run into the suspect by chance and asks him a small favor. By taking advantage of the acquaintance, the agent soon offers companionship, gifts, or employment. The undercover agent pays the suspect money for small tasks such as B. the counting of cash or the delivery of goods associated with fictitious criminal activity. As these tasks increase in importance and frequency, the suspect is treated as a "climber" in a criminal organization. The connection is always tightened, creating an atmosphere in which it seems appropriate to elicit a confession.

Finally, the suspect is introduced to Mr. Big, the boss of the fictional criminal organization who is actually an experienced police contractor. Using temptations and threats, Mr. Big tells the suspect that he has received incriminating information from the police about the suspect whose imminent arrest threatens the gang - so Mr. Big needs to know the details of the unsolved crime. Mr. Big can offer to clear the situation up by incriminating someone else, perhaps a terminally ill ally who is willing to take the case on for the gang. Or Mr. Big can claim that a mole in the police department can manipulate incriminating evidence. Sometimes the confession is required to show good faith, loyalty, or trustworthiness, or to act as "insurance" for Mr. Big. The last meeting is usually recorded.

As soon as the police obtain a confession, the suspect is arrested. In unsolved criminal cases, the Mr. Big technique is often the last resort, or when a strong suspicion is paired with insufficient evidence. Hundreds of convictions have been obtained with Mr. Big. However, innocent people are also motivated to stay in the criminal organization, and it may seem acceptable to the suspect to make a false confession to Mr. Big.

criticism

State agents infiltrate and transform the suspect's life. Complete records of what has taken place are rarely available, particularly how the first suspicions came about. The method includes abuse of trust in personal relationships as well as government sponsored deception. Defense attorneys and criminologists criticized the method for producing unreliable confessions.

Example case Rose 1999

In October 1983 Andrea Scherpf and Bernd Göricke were murdered twice . In 1991 Andy Rose was convicted of these murders, based almost entirely on testimony. In December 1997, there was an exculpatory testimony for Rose, which led to his release on bail. Another procedure has been prepared.

In January 1999, an undercover agent from the RCMP contacted Andy Rose to gain his trust and then obtain the confession of the murders via Mr. Big . Over the next eight months, the investigator became friends with Rose. Rose was seduced to illicit activities, for which he with a total of around 5,900 dollars was paid. After eight months, the "gang" said they could gather information about his upcoming court case and modify the evidence for him so that he would not go back to jail or even go to court. This support would only be granted if he became a recognized gang member. And that would depend on impressing Mr. Big.

When he met Mr. Big in July 1999, Rose first reaffirmed his innocence. Then it was made clear to him by Mr. Big that he wanted to hear a confession and (the former drinker) Rose should think about it over a beer. After a few beers, Rose confessed.

Rose's innocence was proven in 2001 due to missing DNA traces ; he was acquitted.

Example case Hart 2002

In June 2005, Nelson Hart was charged with the murder of his two-year-old twin daughters, who drowned in August 2002.

Operation Mr. Big began in October 2002. Monitoring revealed that Hart was socially isolated, had few friends, and was financially weak. The first contact was made when he was paid to help find a servant's sister. He was asked to do some truck deliveries for which he was paid well. A friendship with the employees developed. He started selling fake credit cards, fake passports, and fake casino chips. Over time, the severity of the illegal activity increased, along with the lucrative effects of the withdrawals. He and his wife were rewarded with trips, shopping trips, and dinners. Hart aspired to join the gang as a full member. In the spring of 2003 he was introduced to the boss and Mr. Big confronted Hart with the death of his daughters and did not accept his explanations. Under pressure, Hart confessed to pushing the girls off the quay. Hart took Mr. Big and several investigators to the scene to re-enact the murder. This event was videotaped and served as the main basis for the prosecution in court. In March 2007, Hart was convicted of the murders.

In 2012 an appeal was allowed. According to Chief Justice Green, Hart was “in a manner equivalent to detention in state control. It was not reasonable to expect that he would have any reason or opportunity to leave the organization. That meant he had to join the organization's culture and see to it that he continued to get Mr. Big's approval. Although he obviously wanted to claim that he had an innocent explanation for the death of his daughters, he finally complied when it became clear that Mr. Big would accept no answer other than that he had murdered them. There was little downside to Hart telling Mr. Big what he wanted to hear, believing the activists were not cops. On the other hand, Hart had a lot to lose if he did not make the required confession. "

Hart was acquitted in July 2014.

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ a b thecourt.ca: A New Standard for “Mr. Big ”Confessions: R v Hart
  2. ↑ bc.cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca: Undercover Operations - Questions and Answers
  3. ↑ a b c archive.is: Someone Got Away with Murder - Timeline
  4. ↑ The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions: A Handbook, p. 575 in the Google book search
  5. ↑ cbc.ca: Someone Got Away With Murder , 24:00 ff
  6. ↑ cbc.ca: Newfoundlander's ordeal with RCMP sting subject of CBC documentary
  7. ↑ cbc.ca: Nelson Hart, accused of killing twin daughters, quietly released from custody
  8. ↑ scc-csc.ca: Her Majesty the Queen v. Nelson Lloyd Hart