Hariri killing street-scene model dominates trial courtroom

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/16/hariri-killing-street-scene-model-trial-courtroom

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A highly detailed scale model of the street scene in Beirut moments before the 2005 blast that killed former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, dominated the centre of the courtroom in The Hague on the opening day of the trial of his alleged killers.

The model, which shows Hariri's convoy passing in front of the St George Hotel on Rue Minet el Hos'n, was created at the request of the Canadian prosecutor, Norman Farrell, to help judges at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon visualise the events that led up to the assassination.

Construction cranes amid the densely packed skyline of new apartments and offices add to the realism of the miniature, table-top landscape. One of the toy-sized vehicles represents the Mitsubishi van laden with up to 3,000kg of high-grade explosives.

A second model, depicting the aftermath, is due to be presented to the court in the coming days. "Using these models in court will allow witnesses to demonstrate where they were, what they saw, and to move vehicles around to indicate their position," judges ruled in a pre-trial hearing at the tribunal.

Lawyers for the absent defendants objected to their inclusion on the grounds that they were built by the prosecution. Their objections were over-ruled.

The judges noted that: "The trial chamber will exercise appropriate caution with regard to objects whose position is not fixed, such as cars and debris."

Scale models are occasionally used for inquests and public inquiries. In the 2004 UK inquiry into the sinking of the Gaul trawler in the Barents Sea, test were carried out on a scale version of the vessel to assess how it would have responded to rough weather.

In planning inquiries, scale models are frequently used so the public can gauge the impact of new buildings, roads or railway lines. In the US, scale models of houses, with their roofs removed, have been used by the FBI in murder trials.

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