"The flawed work of Dr. Charles Smith has deeply affected the lives of many people in Ontario," Attorney General Chris Bentley said Tuesday. "Today we are moving forward with payments to recognize the impact of that experience."
Individuals will be entitled to a maximum of $250,000 each. A child of someone wrongfully accused who was removed from the family home as a result is entitled to up to $25,000.
A family member directly affected by a relative's involvement in the criminal justice system is entitled to up to $12,500. Legal costs incurred by the wrongly accused may also be reimbursed."
CBC NEWS;
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Background: The inquiry focused largely on the flawed work of Dr. Smith — formerly the province's chief pediatric pathologist — whose errors led to innocent people being branded as child murderers. The 1,000-page report by Justice Stephen Goudge slammed Dr. Smith, along with Ontario's former chief coroner and his deputy, for their roles in wrongful prosecutions and asked the province to consider compensation. The provincial coroner's office found evidence of errors in 20 of 45 autopsies Dr. Smith did over a 10-year period starting in the early 1990s. Thirteen resulted in criminal charges.
William Mullins-Johnson, who was among those cases, spent 12 years in prison for the rape and murder of his four-year-old niece, whose death was later attributed to natural causes. In another case, Dr. Smith concluded a mother had stabbed her seven-year-old girl to death when it turned out to have been a dog mauling. The inquiry heard that Dr. Smith's failings included hanging on to crucial evidence, chronic tardiness, and the catastrophic misinterpretation of findings. The cases, along with other heart-rending stories of wrongful prosecutions based in part on Smith's testimony, also raised a host of issues about the pathology system and the reliance of the courts on expert evidence."
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"Commissioner Stephen Goudge's report found pathology errors led to multiple wrongful convictions.Commissioner Stephen Goudge's report found pathology errors led to multiple wrongful convictions. (Frank Gunn/ Canadian Press)," The CBC News report filed earlier today under the heaading, "Ontario to pay victims in Charles Smith cases."
"Ontario will offer payments of up to $250,000 for people whose lives were adversely affected by Dr. Charles Smith's flawed pediatric forensic pathology," the story continues.
"The decision comes almost two years after the Goudge inquiry reported on its review of 45 criminally suspicious children's deaths in which Smith had done, or consulted on, the autopsies. Smith was the chief coroner for the Province of Ontario between 1991 and 2001.
Commissioner Stephen Goudge's report found that in 20 instances in those 10 years, Smith made mistakes leading to dubious conclusions of criminal wrongdoing. Thirteen of those cases resulted in criminal convictions.
"The flawed work of Dr. Charles Smith has deeply affected the lives of many people in Ontario," Attorney General Chris Bentley said Tuesday. "Today we are moving forward with payments to recognize the impact of that experience."
Individuals will be entitled to a maximum of $250,000 each. A child of someone wrongfully accused who was removed from the family home as a result is entitled to up to $25,000.
A family member directly affected by a relative's involvement in the criminal justice system is entitled to up to $12,500. Legal costs incurred by the wrongly accused may also be reimbursed.
Retired Ontario Superior Court Judge Chester Misener will examine all applicants to determine eligibility."
The story can be found at:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/08/10/goudge-inquiry-forensic-pathology.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 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. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be accessed at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
For a breakdown of some of the cases, issues and controversies this Blog is currently following, please turn to:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-feature-cases-issues-and.html
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;