"Thursday’s witness, who said she had to borrow money from her parents to pay Carter, was left in tears when defence lawyer Gregory Lafontaine challenged her claim.
“I’m going to suggest to you that’s a vicious lie,” he said. “Why would you give him $4,000 in cash if you only owed him $600?”
Lafontaine was referring to a family court agreement that the woman and her ex-husband share the cost of Carter’s assessment. She explained she agreed to pay the full cost because she owed her former spouse money.
Carter told her he’d mail a receipt but it never arrived, she testified. “I gave him cash money and never got a receipt,” she said."
URBAN AFFAIRS REPORTER CAROLA VYNHAK; THE TORONTO STAR;
MARK CALENDER NOW: IMPORTANT JOINT NPR, FRONTLINE, PROPUBLICA INVESTIGATION OF CHILD DEATH CASES INVOLVING ABUSE, ASSAULT AND "SHAKEN-BABY SYNDROME." ASKS IF DEATH INVESTIGATORS ARE BEING PROPERLY TRAINED FOR CHILD CASES; FIRST OF THREE SEGMENTS ON "THE CHILD CASES" AIRS ON JUNE 28 AT 9.00 PM:
When a child dies under suspicious circumstances, abuse is often suspected. That's what happened in the case of six-month-old Isis Vas, whose death was deemed "a clear-cut and classic" case of child abuse, sending a man named Ernie Lopez to prison for 60 years. But now a Texas judge has moved to overturn Lopez's conviction, and new questions are being asked about the quality of expert testimony in this and many other similar cases. In this joint investigation with ProPublica and NPR, FRONTLINE correspondent A.C. Thompson unearths more than 20 child death cases in which people were jailed on medical evidence -- involving abuse, assault and "shaken-baby syndrome" -- that was later found unreliable or flat-out wrong. Are death investigators being properly trained for child cases? The Child Cases is the first of three magazine segments airing June 28 at 9 p.m. (check local listings);
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-child-cases/
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"A mother involved in a custody battle over her two children has accused a man she thought was a child psychologist of accepting thousands of dollars in cash for his services," the Toronto Star story by Urban Affairs Reporter Carold Vynhak published earlier today under the heading, "Therapist given thousands in cash, fraud trial told," begins.
"The Scarborough resident testified on Thursday that she paid Whitby therapist Gregory Carter a total of $5,000, including a $1,000 cheque. She said she received a receipt for that amount but not the other $4,000 paid in cash over several visits in 2009," the story continues.
"Carter, who is a psychological associate involved in therapy and child custody cases, is on trial in Oshawa for allegedly defrauding five people who believed he was a fully qualified doctor of psychology. Crown attorney Michael Gillen contends he misrepresented his credentials, calling himself “doctor” when he was licensed as a psychological associate, which is a step below.
Carter, 64, has pleaded not guilty to fraud under $5,000.
Thursday’s witness, who said she had to borrow money from her parents to pay Carter, was left in tears when defence lawyer Gregory Lafontaine challenged her claim.
“I’m going to suggest to you that’s a vicious lie,” he said. “Why would you give him $4,000 in cash if you only owed him $600?”
Lafontaine was referring to a family court agreement that the woman and her ex-husband share the cost of Carter’s assessment. She explained she agreed to pay the full cost because she owed her former spouse money.
Carter told her he’d mail a receipt but it never arrived, she testified. “I gave him cash money and never got a receipt,” she said.
The woman admitted she didn’t look at Carter’s resumé or credentials but assumed he was a psychologist because he called himself “doctor.” Other alleged victims who paid Carter a total of $12,000 for psychological services have said the same thing.
Carter, who frequently testified in family court, claimed he had a doctorate in psychology but the College of Psychologists didn’t recognize his credentials. However, Lafontaine argued on Thursday that until the rules changed in 2009, he was allowed to call himself “doctor” because he had a Ph.D. in philosophy.
A year ago, the college suspended Carter from practising for three months after he pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for straying beyond his capabilities.
The trial before Justice Paul Bellefontaine continues."
The story can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1014206--therapist-given-thousands-in-cash-fraud-trial-told
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 found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;
