Daily Casefile · Verdict
Wilting at Wexford Blooms
≈ 4 min
The Society's annual show opened on the morning of 31 August 2026. By mid-afternoon, the Vandaceous Blue Moon orchid entered by Harold Speight — the pre-show favourite for Best in Show — was found wilted and discoloured, with blue-green residue on its leaves. A chemical analysis confirmed copper sulphate contamination. The prosecution contends that Cora Finch, who stood to claim Best in Show if the Blue Moon was disqualified, applied the solution to the plant during the forty-minute preparation period before the hall opened to judges. The jury must decide whether Cora Finch is guilty of deliberate sabotage.
Subject
Cora Finch, rival orchid exhibitor at the Wexford Botanical Society Annual Show
Charged with Deliberately poisoning a prize orchid with copper sulphate solution to sabotage a competitor's entry
The scene
Wexford Botanical Society Annual Show, held in the Wexford Town Hall exhibition hall, present day — comprising a main display floor with numbered exhibit tables, a preparation anteroom, a judges' table near the entrance, and a locked chemical store at the rear of the hall.
The witnesses
- Harold Speight — Orchid exhibitor and victim of the alleged sabotage
- Dorothy Marsh — Retired schoolteacher and Society member; was arranging her fern display at Table 12 during set-up
- Neil Trevorrow — Society secretary and show organiser
- Professor Ada Lyle — Botanist and independent chemical analyst commissioned by the Society to examine the orchid
Play today’s Verdict.
This case first aired on September 2, 2026. A fresh verdict runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.