April 5: Lizelle (then Herrera) Gonzalez: Texas: Criminalizing Reproduction: Attacks on science, medicine and the right to choose: Major (Unwelcome) Development: Her lawsuit over criminalized abortion has been tossed by a Trump-appointed judge, Jezabel with Splinter (Reporter Danielle Han) reports, noting that: "Gonzalez’s case garnered international attention in 2022, when she (then Lizelle Herrera) went to Starr County Memorial Hospital seeking medical help after taking misoprostol, the second pill taken in a medication abortion. The 26-year-old was 19 weeks pregnant, and after she was treated and discharged, hospital staff called the police on her—mind you, this was months before Roe was overturned, and before Texas imposed its current total ban. Police then wrongfully charged her with murder. While Texas had already passed SB 8 in 2021, which banned abortion at six weeks, the law explicitly forbade charging pregnant people who got an abortion, only the doctor or health care provider. Gonzalez was jailed for two days before prosecutors dropped the charge for lack of an actual case, but not before her mugshot and name were splashed across the news."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  In recent years, I have taken on the  theme of 'criminalizing reproduction' - a natural theme for a Blog concerned with  flawed science in its myriad forms  - as I am utterly appalled by  the current movement in the United States (and some other countries) emboldened by the overturning of Roe V Wade,  towards imprisoning and conducting surveillance on women and their physicians and others who help them secure a safe abortion,  on the basis of sham science (or any other basis). I can’t remember the source, but agree  totally with the sentiment that control over their reproductive lives is far too important to women in America - or anywhere else -  so they can  participate  equally in the economic and social life of their nations without fear for  loss their freedom at the hands of political opportunists and fanatics. (Far too many of those those around these days.) '

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "According to court documents, the Starr County District Attorney, Gocha Allen Ramirez, knew all along that the case had no standing, admitting via text messages that he “should never have indicted her…because it’s not murder in Texas.” What’s more is that in August, it was also revealed that he himself had paid for his mistress’s abortion in the late 90s. Speaking to the Texas Tribune, he admitted the entire case was a “mistake” and that he’s “sincerely sorry it happened.” Hm."

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "For the last year, Gonzalez has been seeking $1 million in federal damages, and initially argued that the “humiliation of a highly publicized indictment and arrest…permanently affected her standing in the community.” Gonzalez’s lawsuit accused officials of wrongful arrest, but also of malicious prosecution and conspiracy. In February, Nevada forked over a measly $100,000 to another woman after the state put her through a similar ordeal."

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 STORY: "Woman’s Lawsuit Over Criminalized Abortion Gets Tossed by Trump-Appointed Judge," by Danielle Han, published by 'Jezebel with Splinter' on April 3, 2026.

SUB-HEADING: "For the last year, Lizelle Gonzalez has been seeking $1 million in federal damages after officials tried to charge her with murder for self-inducing an abortion."

GIST: Nearly two years after Lizelle Gonzalez filed a civil lawsuit against Texas prosecutors for wrongfully jailing her over a self-managed abortion, a Trump-appointed judge on Tuesday dismissed the case by declaring the officials involved were protected by “qualified immunity.” Ah, yes, because what’s more overrated in a thriving republic than, say, due process?

Gonzalez’s case garnered international attention in 2022, when she (then Lizelle Herrera) went to Starr County Memorial Hospital seeking medical help after taking misoprostol, the second pill taken in a medication abortion. The 26-year-old was 19 weeks pregnant, and after she was treated and discharged, hospital staff called the police on her—mind you, this was months before Roe was overturned, and before Texas imposed its current total ban. Police then wrongfully charged her with murder.

While Texas had already passed SB 8 in 2021, which banned abortion at six weeks, the law explicitly forbade charging pregnant people who got an abortion, only the doctor or health care provider. Gonzalez was jailed for two days before prosecutors dropped the charge for lack of an actual case, but not before her mugshot and name were splashed across the news. 

For the last year, Gonzalez has been seeking $1 million in federal damages, and initially argued that the “humiliation of a highly publicized indictment and arrest…permanently affected her standing in the community.” Gonzalez’s lawsuit accused officials of wrongful arrest, but also of malicious prosecution and conspiracy. In February, Nevada forked over a measly $100,000 to another woman after the state put her through a similar ordeal. 

The judge who dismissed Gonzalez’s case is U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton, another MAGA gadfly who also apparently protected officials with the same shoddy “qualified immunity” ruling after they botched a response in the aftermath of the tragic Uvalde school shooting in 2022. If I had a penny for every crooked judge Trump’s put into power…

According to court documents, the Starr County District Attorney, Gocha Allen Ramirez, knew all along that the case had no standing, admitting via text messages that he “should never have indicted her…because it’s not murder in Texas.” What’s more is that in August, it was also revealed that he himself had paid for his mistress’s abortion in the late 90s.

 Speaking to the Texas Tribune, he admitted the entire case was a “mistake” and that he’s “sincerely sorry it happened.” Hm.

The man’s done no actual self-reflection about just how much he’s fucked up, however, because he also said he felt “tremendously vindicated.” “There was an apology made by me personally to her. Whether or not her rights were violated is a legal question and that legal question has been determined by a federal judge.” 

Ah, well, you know what they say. Zero things can be true at once. 

https://www.jezebel.com/womans-lawsuit-over-criminalized-abortion-gets-tossed-by-trump-appointed-judge

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system.   Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan: Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

April 4: James Duckett: Death Row: Florida: 'Inside Lake (Reporter Frank Stanfield) reports that a circuit court judge Wednesday denied death row inmate James Duckett’s appeal to have an independent DNA lab analyze inconclusive results he hoped would exonerate in the 1987 rape and murder of a child, noting that: "The defense wanted the state to use the latest, most precise testing, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), which the state lab is not equipped to do. So, DNA Labs International was selected for the test. Duckett’s attorney, Mary Elizabeth Wells, wants another lab to analyze and explain those results. The defense hired Orthram Inc., to independently analyze the data. “We have a way to determine if he should be included or excluded, and for us to stop this close to the finish line makes no sense to me,” she said."

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Wells, who has been his advocate for decades, attacked the credibility of witnesses, including an FBI lab analyst who said a single hair found in Teresa’s clothing was consistent with Ducklett’s. The hair, which did not have a root, could not be tested for DNA. Another witness, who was a young teen at the time, who recanted her testimony saying she saw Teresa in Duckett’s patrol car."

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STORY: "Judge denies independent DNA review in Duckett case despite defense push, by Reporter Frank Stanfield, published by 'Inside Lake',   on April 2, 2026. (Frank Stanfield has been a journalist for 50 years, including at the Orlando Sentinel where he first began covering the murder of Teresa McAbee in 1987. He is the author of four true-crime books, including his latest, "Murder in the Graveyard, A Family Cult Tragedy.)

GIST: "A circuit court judge Wednesday denied death row inmate James Duckett’s appeal to have an independent DNA lab analyze inconclusive results he hoped would exonerate in the 1987 rape and murder of a child.

Duckett was a rookie Mascotte police officer on duty when Teresa McAbee was found floating in a lake.

Until recently, he has resisted testing a semen stain found on her panties because the sample would be destroyed in the procedure.

But with the clock ticking after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant for March 31, testing went forward. The Florida Supreme Court issued a stay of execution until the test could be completed. The death warrant is effective until April 7.

Circuit Judge Brian Welke wrote in his order that the Supreme Court’s stay of execution “does not indicate any testing beyond what was already ordered by this court. The results of the testing have now been reported, and no further testing remains to be done, nor is further testing possible.

“Even if the test results could be brought into doubt, this would not generate new evidence on which the defendant’s actual evidence claim could rest.”

He also denied the defense request for public records from various state agencies involved in the case.

The defense wanted the state to use the latest, most precise testing, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), which the state lab is not equipped to do. So, DNA Labs International was selected for the test.

Duckett’s attorney, Mary Elizabeth Wells, wants another lab to analyze and explain those results. The defense hired Orthram Inc., to independently analyze the data.

“We have a way to determine if he should be included or excluded, and for us to stop this close to the finish line makes no sense to me,” she said.

Testing could have been done sooner, the state argued.

“This type of testing has been available for four years,” said Charmaine Millsaps with the state’s Attorney General’s office. She argued that Duckett’s decision to delay testing can be used under state statutes to show consciousness of guilt.

“The defendant could have raised this claim in a timely fashion to bring the SNP testing before the court without the burden of a large deadline, said Assistant State Attorney Ken Nunnelly. “They chose not to do that,”

Duckett has claimed his innocence from the beginning.

Wells, who has been his advocate for decades, attacked the credibility of witnesses, including an FBI lab analyst who said a single hair found in Teresa’s clothing was consistent with Ducklett’s. The hair, which did not have a root, could not be tested for DNA.

Another witness, who was a young teen at the time, who recanted her testimony saying she saw Teresa in Duckett’s patrol car.

Sheriff’s investigators pointed to tire tracks and fingerprints as proof that Duckett was guilty.Polk County investigators say they believe that Duckett may have killed two girls in that county.

Wells, no doubt, will appeal Wednesday’s ruling."

The entire story can be read at: 

https://insidelake.com/2026/04/01/judge-denies-independent-dna-review-in-duckett-case-despite-defense-push/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system.   Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan: Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

April 3: Roula Pispirgou; Greece.The extraordinary case of this mother, convicted of murdering her three daughters, who is seeking comprehensive genetic testing - which, renowned immunologist-geneticist Prof. Carola Vinuesa, who helped exonerate Kathleen Folbigg in the murders of her four children, believes could provide "critical insights into the case." There will be much to follow on this Blog as her appeal, set for September 2026, draws near. For a start, here (below) is an excerpt from a comprehensive Wikipedia entry…"Vinuesa highlighted that the pathological findings in Georgina were consistent with those observed in her sisters, Iris and Malena, indicating a potential genetic condition. "These findings are sufficiently unusual and severe to warrant further investigation." Regarding ketamine, she stated, "The ketamine level in the blood was very close to a therapeutic dose. In my professional opinion, it is highly unlikely that ketamine caused the girl's death. She was suffering from other conditions that could have led to her death." She added that a whole genome sequencing could provide critical insights into the case".

WORDS TO HEED: FROM OUR POST ON KEVIN COOPER'S  APPLICATION FOR POST-CONVICTION DNA TESTING; CALIFORNIA: (Applicable wherever a state resists DNA testing): "Blogger/extraordinaire Jeff Gamso's blunt, unequivocal, unforgettable message to the powers that be in California: "JUST TEST THE FUCKING DNA." (Oh yes, Gamso raises, as he does in many of his posts, an important philosophical question: This post is headed: "What is truth, said jesting Pilate."...Says Gamso: "So what's the harm? What, exactly, are they scared of? Don't we want the truth?" 

 https://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2018/06/kevin-cooper-2-california-application.html

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  A very important case I am beginning to follow - especially  in the shadow of the extraordinary exoneration  of Kathleen Folbigg in the UK, ( subject of many posts on this Blog)  where as I previously posted (link below): "The new scientific findings lend weight to the theory that, for all four of Folbigg's children, the underlying causes of death may lie in rare and hitherto undiscovered genetic variants, or mutations. The announcement builds on medical and scientific evidence which was presented to last year's judicial inquiry into Folbigg's convictions, and flies in the face of the inquiry's conclusions. In 2003, Folbigg — from NSW's Hunter Valley — was convicted of murdering three of her children, Patrick, Sarah and Laura, and the manslaughter of her firstborn, Caleb.")

https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4354649640282693735

A powerful link is the presence in both cases of  an expert witness named  Prof. Carola Vinuesa,   a renowned Spanish-born immunologist-geneticist, who concluded that there was no clinical or scientific evidence to suggest that the mother, former nurse Roula Pispirigou, who had been sentenced to three consecutive life terms,  was responsible for the deaths of her three daughters.  Prof. Vinusa has publicly called for genomic sequencing, which thus far has been denied by the Greek government. Roula Pispirigou has asserted her innocence from the outset. her appeal of her first conviction is set to be heard in September 2026. Keep an eye out for developments. There is much to follow. For a start: From Wikipedia:

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog:

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WIKIPEDIA ENTRY: (Link Below):  "Patras sisters death case): "One of the trial's most significant testimonies came from immunologist-geneticist Carola Garcia de Vinuesa, renowned for her work on the Kathleen Folbigg case, and her colleague, Professor of Genetic Medicine Todor Arsov. The two scientists argued that there was substantial evidence of a genetic disorder. "The small heart suggests reduced cardiac output, accompanied by fatty infiltration, fibrosis, and the presence of eosinophils, which are rare." Vinuesa highlighted that the pathological findings in Georgina were consistent with those observed in her sisters, Iris and Malena, indicating a potential genetic condition. "These findings are sufficiently unusual and severe to warrant further investigation." Regarding ketamine, she stated, "The ketamine level in the blood was very close to a therapeutic dose. In my professional opinion, it is highly unlikely that ketamine caused the girl's death. She was suffering from other conditions that could have led to her death." She added that a whole genome sequencing could provide critical insights into the case.^[28]

 Patras_sisters_death_case

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system.   Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan: Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project

April 3: Neonatal Nurse Lucy Letby: UK; Author Jon Robins: The Justice Gap…"Letby debate: ‘Terrifying when a single opinion condemns a young woman to life."…"MPs were told that Cheshire police ‘ignored or broke’ rules governing the conduct of investigations in its treatment of Lucy Letby failing to pursue alternative lines of inquiry, ‘cherry picking’ evidence and not disclosing critical material to the defence. The Conservative MP and former cabinet minister, David Davis was scathing about the force’s treatment of the former nurse as a suspect and its reliance upon a single expert, Dr Dewi Evans, as both police adviser and prosecution expert witness at trial. ‘Terrifying when a single opinion will condemn a young woman to life in prison,’ he said."

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "In his adjournment debate last week, David Davis drew on reviews by two senior police officers: Dr Steve Watts, an ex-assistant chief constable who authored the National Police Guidelines on the investigation of deaths in healthcare settings, and retired Detective Superintendent Stuart Clifton, who investigated the murders of Beverley Allitt.  According to Davis, DS Clifton had been ‘commissioned by The Sun newspaper to confirm Letby’s guilt’. ‘Indeed, both policemen believed that Letby was guilty—that is, until they examined the hard facts, and both now believe that the Letby case is a serious miscarriage of justice,’ he said."

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COMMENTARY: "Letby debate: ‘Terrifying when a single opinion condemns a young woman to life,' by Jon Robins, published by The Justice Gap, on April 1, 2026. (Jon (Robins)  is editor of the Justice Gap. He is a criminology lecturer at Brighton University, special adviser to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Miscarriages of Justice and vice chair of the Legal Action Group. Books include Justice in a Time of Austerity (Bristol University Press, 2021), Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Biteback, 2018), The First Miscarriage of Justice (Waterside Press, 2014), and The Justice Gap (LAG, 2009). Jon is twice winner of the Bar Council's journalism award and has won the Halsbury Legal journalism award.)…(The Justice Gap is an online magazine about the law and justice run by journalists.)

GIST: "MPs were told that Cheshire police ‘ignored or broke’ rules governing the conduct of investigations in its treatment of Lucy Letby failing to pursue alternative lines of inquiry, ‘cherry picking’ evidence and not disclosing critical material to the defence. 

The Conservative MP and former cabinet minister, David Davis was scathing about the force’s treatment of the former nurse as a suspect and its reliance upon a single expert, Dr Dewi Evans, as both police adviser and prosecution expert witness at  trial.   ‘Terrifying when a single opinion will condemn a young woman to life in prison,’ he said."

David Davis, who has been outspoken in his support for Letby, highlighting the force’s treatment of her as a suspect. 

He said: ‘It is extraordinary that this unthreatening young girl was marched in in handcuffs, mirroring the way American authorities try to influence public opinion against suspects when they are perp walked to court.’ 

It was coverage that was featured in a recent Netflix documentary The Investigation Of Lucy Letby showing Letby arrested while she is sitting in bed.

Her parents have complained of an invasion of privacy.

 They described previous programmes including BBC Panorama, which featured their daughter handcuffed in a blue tracksuit, as ‘heartbreaking’ for us.

 However, they said the Netflix film was ‘on another level’. ‘We will not watch it – it would likely kill us if we did,’ they said

Cheshire Police arrested Lucy Letby three times claiming it was necessary for questioning despite, according to Davis, her ‘freely volunteering to come in for questioning’.

 Letby was accused in court of lying about being arrested in her pyjamas. ‘It is astonishing that the police officers in court, who knew how she was dressed when she was arrested, did not intervene with the prosecutors to tell them that they had got it wrong, and instead left the jury to believe that Lucy was lying about something when she was plainly telling the truth,’ the MP said.

 He went to say that it was ‘astounding’ the lengths that Cheshire police was ‘willing to go to in order to manage its own public relations—sometimes, I think, at the cost of achieving justice’.

In his adjournment debate last week, David Davis drew on reviews by two senior police officers: Dr Steve Watts, an ex-assistant chief constable who authored the National Police Guidelines on the investigation of deaths in healthcare settings, and retired Detective Superintendent Stuart Clifton, who investigated the murders of Beverley Allitt. 

 According to Davis, DS Clifton had been ‘commissioned by The Sun newspaper to confirm Letby’s guilt’. ‘Indeed, both policemen believed that Letby was guilty—that is, until they examined the hard facts, and both now believe that the Letby case is a serious miscarriage of justice,’ he said.

Dr Watts, as quoted by David Davis, described Cheshire Police’s arrests of Letby as ‘completely wrong’.

 According to CPS guidelines and police guidance, ‘sensitive’ and ‘complex’ cases should be referred to the CPS Serious Crime and Counter Terrorism Division – not handled by a regional unit. 

It was argued that an initial failure to make such a referral meant that safeguards and scrutiny by independent lawyers did not happen.

 According to Davis, Cheshire police then failed to heed explicit guidance from the National Crime Agency calling for the appointment of a panel of relevant experts. ‘Operation Hummingbird…built its entire medical case around one expert,’ Dr Watts said.

That expert was Dr Dewi Evans who volunteered his services and decided after ten minutes of reviewing paperwork that there was ‘foul play’. ‘Cheshire police were clutching at straws to find an expert, then very quickly and uncritically took a lifeline offered by Evans,’ Dr Watts said.

David Davis described the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital as ‘at best, inadequate’ and ‘at worst, appalling’. 

There were outbreaks of multiple antibiotic resistant infections and ‘sewage was dripping from the ceilings’, he said; adding that there had been numerous reviews including one by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health which found no criminality but instead identified shortcomings in medical care at the hospital. 

‘There was a 20% staffing shortfall,’ the MP said. ‘Doctors did ward rounds twice a week rather than twice a day.’

 The MP went on to say that the four consultants who ‘pointed the finger’ at Letby all demonstrated poor care which, he said, sometimes led to babies dying. ‘Where was the decision not to treat the doctors as suspects, or the other nurses, or the cleaners?’ Dr Watts was said to have asked.

The MP quoted a boast by Evans that he had ‘never lost’ a case.

 ‘That is not the mindset of a neutral expert; it is the language of someone who tailors his evidence to suit the prosecution’s case.’ 

Davis flagged a warning by Lord Justice Jackson who ‘took the extraordinary step’ to write to the presiding judge, Mr Justice Goss, alerting him to Evans’s failings in a previous case, describing his evidence as ‘worthless’ and stating that he ‘makes no effort to provide a balanced opinion’ and his ‘approach amounts to a breach of proper professional conduct’.

Of the now infamous shift rota seemingly highlighting Letby’s presence when a baby died, Davis said: ‘Evans cherrypicked the cases to match Letby’s shifts and police used this in their chart to reflect her presence at those events highlighted by Evans.’ 

DS Clifton was quoted as explaining that missing from the chart used were deaths ‘which occurred whilst Letby was not on duty or those where adverse events took place whilst off duty.

David Davis argued that any statistician could have pointed such issues out to Cheshire police. ‘In fact, one did,’ he continued.

In April 2018, the force approached one of the country’s leading statisticians, Professor Jane Hutton who gave evidence on the misuse of statistics in the Ben Geen case (see here). 

Prof Hutton warned Cheshire Police that its approach was wrong. 

‘The police then told her: “The prosecutor…has instructed us not to pursue this avenue any further.”’

According to the MP, the CPS was in breach of its own code.

 Dr Watts described that outcome as ‘particularly egregious’. ’It is. not appropriate for the CPS to deter the police from acquiring evidence that may be relevant and available,’ he was reported to say.

The MP said Prof Hutton’s explicit warnings to the police ‘obliterated the prosecution’s statistical argument – the foundation of their entire case’. 

‘Prof Hutton believes the statistical errors are “similar to those in the Sally Clark case but worse.”’

David  (sic) invoked the wrongful conviction of Sally Clark for the murder of her two baby sons to open the debate.

 It took three years to overturn Sally Clarke’s conviction in 2003. She died from alcohol poisoning four years later. 

‘The destruction of an innocent person’s life was caused by the police, the prosecution and the court swallowing bogus statistical assertions by an alleged expert in her trial. 

That expert eventually resigned in disgrace, although that did not save Sally Clark,’ he said. ‘One would think that after that case, Cheshire police and the CPS would have been very careful to avoid this happening again.

In response, the policing minister Sarah Jones defended  the ‘meticulous and lengthy investigation’ leading to her arrest.

 ‘I am sure we all think of the parents of those children,’ she said. ‘As I have had children in neonatal units and born into special care baby units, I can only imagine their suffering in what they have been through.’

Cheshire Police issued a statement in response to the debate, saying: ‘Cheshire Constabulary strongly refutes all the points made during the adjournment debate. It implied impropriety on the part of Cheshire Constabulary where none whatsoever has been established. We remain confident in the integrity of the investigation, the conduct of the prosecution, and the decisions reached by the courts.’

It continued: ‘Over the past two years the force has come under constant criticism and has been intensely scrutinised and subject to unpleasant opinion from a core group of individuals who appear to pride themselves on spreading misinformation, making baseless claims and attempting to destroy reputations… . The constant noise surrounding this case, inaccurate or partial information being presented as fact and attempts to hi-jack the perceived narrative risk undermining public confidence not only in this case – but in the wider criminal justice system. Public confidence is best served by evidence-based discussion and responsible commentary – not ill-informed personal opinions and inaccurate details. We are committed to victim-focused justice, public confidence, and the rule of law. Our thoughts remain with the families of the babies – who have always been at the heart of this case.’"

The entire story can be read at: 

https://www.thejusticegap.com/letby-debate-terrifying-when-a-single-opinion-condemns-a-young-woman-to-life/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system.   Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan: Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;