"Waudby has been fighting for more than a decade to clear her name.
She was charged with murdering her own daughter, Jenna Mellor, in 1997. That charge was withdrawn and Jenna's babysitter, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December 2006 after being arrested as an adult. He was also charged with sexual assault, but the Crown withdrew that charge.
In a sworn affidavit filed with Superior Court, Waudby alleges she was bullied by the Crown attorney, police and the Kawartha-Haliburton Children's Aid Society into falsely confessing to abusing Jenna."
REPORTER FIONA ISAACSON; THE PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER;
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: It is clear from the evidence called at the Goudge inquiry that Brenda Waudby - an utterly innocent individual who's baby daughter had been murdered by her babysitter - had been required to plead guilty to a charge of child abuse under provincial legislation before the Crown would withdraw the the second-degree murder charge on the basis of medical opinions which showed she could not possibly have committed the crime. It is also clear that Dr. Charles Smith's opinion that there were injuries which preceded the attack on Baby Jenna - which led to her being wrongfully charged with murder - was also the basis for the provincial charge, along with what the police claimed to be a confession. Instead of receiving the sympathy and compassion she deserved as a grieving mother whose baby daughter had been murdered, Ms. Waudby, a grieving mother, was herself charged with the horrific crime and not surprisingly became a pariah in her community. Brenda Waudby has been given a raw deal by Ontario's criminal justice system. Complete exoneration cannot come soon enough.
HAROLD LEVY; PUBLISHER; THE CHARLES SMITH BLOG.
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"In the "interest of justice" the Crown has granted a time extension so Brenda Waudby can appeal her 1999 conviction for child abuse," the Peterborough Examiner story by reporter Fiona Isaacson published earlier today under the heading, "Waudby granted extension to appeal child abuse conviction," begins.
"Because of what the Crown now knows about the circumstances of the case since Waudby entered her plea, an appeal would be allowed at this time, Crown attorney Alison Wheeler said early Thursday afternoon in Superior Court of Justice," the story continues.
"Waudby was convicted on June 11, 1999 after pleading guilty to child abuse under the Provincial Offences Act. Under the act, there is only 30 days to appeal the conviction.
Waudby has been fighting for more than a decade to clear her name.
She was charged with murdering her own daughter, Jenna Mellor, in 1997. That charge was withdrawn and Jenna's babysitter, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December 2006 after being arrested as an adult. He was also charged with sexual assault, but the Crown withdrew that charge.
In a sworn affidavit filed with Superior Court, Waudby alleges she was bullied by the Crown attorney, police and the Kawartha-Haliburton Children's Aid Society into falsely confessing to abusing Jenna.
The appeal will be heard in superior court.
A date for the appeal will be set when the case returns to superior court on April 7."
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The story can be found at:
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2883405
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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://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=120008354894645705&postID=8369513443994476774
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;
