"To Brenda and Justine... may you continue to break the silence, unify with each other and strengthen each other with the love that has saved you through one of life's most tragic experiences. Be each other's footprints in the sand.
To baby Jenna.. rest in peace sweet little one.
My heart goes out to all of you. May peace and closure finds its way to you soon."
BROKEN SILENCE:
REMINDER: EXECUTION BY FIRE Friday, May 13, 10PM (9PM Manitoba/Sask.)
(In 1991 three little girls died in a fire that gutted their home in a small Texas town. Sympathy turned to rage when their father was charged with murder by arson. After a thirteen-year battle to prove his innocence and despite new evidence casting doubt over the conviction, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed by lethal injection in 2004. Since Willingham’s death, leading fire scientists have challenged the underpinnings of the case, concluding it was an accidental fire. Today, Willingham’s family is still battling to clear his name and for the first time Texas may be forced to admit to executing an innocent man. Another documentary by renowned Canadian journalist Julian Sher. “What can be more crushing than the nightmare of losing your child,” asks Sher. “And then the nightmare gets unimaginably worse when the police accuse you of the murder and you know you’re innocent? These were compelling human dramas and trials that grabbed the headlines. We tried to look at the toll these cases took not only on the accused but also on their families—their loved ones, the other children. It’s also about how communities turn against the guilty suspect in our midst – how we are all guilty of jumping to conclusions.”)
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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. We can only hope that the Court will strike the plea that she felt compelled to make in the circumstances, allow her to call the fresh evidence which she says clears her of this offence, and go the rest of the distance necessary to fully clear her name.
HAROLD LEVY; PUBLISHER; THE CHARLES SMITH BLOG.
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"I spoke with Brenda just prior to watching the documentary of herself and the hell that she and her daughter Justine, went through. An ordeal that stemmed from the now disgraced, Dr. Charles Smith, formerly of Hospital For Sick Children," the moving commentary by the author of the "Broken Silence: When Justice Fails" Blog begins.
"Through the entire documentary, I found myself with my mouth wide open and eyes filling with tears," the commentary continues.
"A false confession. The charge of Second Degree Murder of her own child. The recurring removal of Justine from Brenda. The planting of an undercover officer from "Operation Jenna". at Brenda Waudby"s rehabilitation center. The bargain of - we will drop the charge of Second Degree Murder but you have to plead guilty to child abuse. The shame Brenda was put through in her home town of Peterborough, Ontario. The anguish , loneliness and confusion that Justine was put through. The discovery of the flawed and inexperienced Dr. Charles Smith. The constant attempts that Brenda called out to say she was innocent, only to be shut down. Then to finding the real killer, the 14 year old babysitter. This story is tragic from beginning to end.
The world can be a very cruel place, depending on who is in it. As I see it, Brenda cried out for help in trying to find Jenna's real killer, but yet, she was silenced and forced to accept circumstances so as to not lose her children forever. Even though the charges of murder had been dropped.
Everyone has made bad judgments in their time (and don't try to tell me otherwise), but it certainly does not make you a killer of your own child ! The irony here is that within the group of the very people that we entrust to seek truth and justice, are some that cross those lines themselves. The ones who wear the suits and look flawless, professing and enforcing the law, at times, are the very persons who are the cause of systemic flaws.
Truly, as the journey that Brenda and her family still go through now, Brenda is truly an incredibly strong woman . Justine, a beautiful and wonderful young girl who had the courage to come forward.
There is absolutely no comfort in knowing that charges against Dr. Charles Smith is unlikely. It is unjust and does not bring closure to any of us. A man who wreaked havoc and destroyed many many lives continues to walk freely in public in BC. My only hope is that Canada will consider amending its immunity laws for "expert" witnesses."
To Brenda and Justine... may you continue to break the silence, unify with each other and strengthen each other with the love that has saved you through one of life's most tragic experiences. Be each other's footprints in the sand.
To baby Jenna.. rest in peace sweet little one.
My heart goes out to all of you. May peace and closure finds its way to you soon.
The commentary can be found at:
http://brokensilence91.blogspot.com/2011/05/mothers-ordeal-aired-tonght-10pm-et.html
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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
