"Two of the four cases highlighted by the new report involved Smith.
In a statement, Attorney General Chris Bentley says the information has been given to the chief prosecutor of Ontario to decide how to proceed.
Bentley says the Crown will work to expedite any case in which "an injustice is claimed."
THE CANADIAN PRESS;
"The committee identified four cases that may give rise to concerns based on reports prepared by an international medical panel and the facts and circumstances reviewed by the committee in each of these cases. The committee did not make any decisions about anyone’s guilt or innocence in the cases it examined.
We are contacting all the people whose cases were referred to the international medical panel to inform them of the results of the panel’s review so they can decide how to proceed.
This information has been provided to the Chief Prosecutor of Ontario and forwarded to the Ministry’s Crown Law Office – Criminal, to review and take appropriate action, including working with the defence counsel. We will continue to work with all justice system participants to expedite any case in which an injustice is claimed."
FROM STATEMENT MADE EARLIER TODAY BY ATTORNEY GENERAL CHRIS BENTLEY; (FOLLOWING THE CANADIAN PRESS STORY);
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"TORONTO - A report into 48 so-called shaken baby deaths in Ontario has identified potential concerns in four cases that resulted in convictions," the Canadian Press story published earlier today begins under the heading, "Potential concerns identified in four shaken baby cases."
"The review was launched in 2008, after the release of the Goudge Report into pediatric forensic pathology, which recommended a probe of cases involving "shaken baby syndrome," the story continues.
"The Goudge Report slammed the work of now-disgraced pathologist Charles Smith, saying he and his bosses were at the heart of several miscarriages of justice. Several convictions involving Smith have since been overturned.
Two of the four cases highlighted by the new report involved Smith.
In a statement, Attorney General Chris Bentley says the information has been given to the chief prosecutor of Ontario to decide how to proceed.
Bentley says the Crown will work to expedite any case in which "an injustice is claimed."
The Canadian Press story can be found at:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/potential-concerns-identified-in-four-shaken-baby-cases-117954874.html
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Statement By Attorney General Chris Bentley On The Release Of The "Shaken Baby" Review Committee Report
In December 2008, following the release of Justice Stephen Goudge’s Report on The Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario, I announced a review of pediatric cases that resulted in criminal convictions based on evidence of abusive head trauma or “shaken baby syndrome.”
The work of the “Shaken Baby” Death Review Committee, led by the Honourable Justice Donald A. Ebbs, is now complete.
I thank the members of the committee, including the world experts, for their hard work, collaboration, dedication and perseverance in completing this very difficult and important review.
The committee developed rigorous criteria to systematically review the medical and legal aspects of pediatric head injury cases that occurred between 1986 and 2006. The majority of those cases raised no concerns.
The committee identified four cases that may give rise to concerns based on reports prepared by an international medical panel and the facts and circumstances reviewed by the committee in each of these cases. The committee did not make any decisions about anyone’s guilt or innocence in the cases it examined.
We are contacting all the people whose cases were referred to the international medical panel to inform them of the results of the panel’s review so they can decide how to proceed.
This information has been provided to the Chief Prosecutor of Ontario and forwarded to the Ministry’s Crown Law Office – Criminal, to review and take appropriate action, including working with the defence counsel. We will continue to work with all justice system participants to expedite any case in which an injustice is claimed.
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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;
