Thursday, August 21, 2014

Catch-up (2): Michael Beakley: Kamloops; British Columbia; He has been acquitted of causing his baby's brain injury. Shaken baby syndrome case. Vancouver Sun.


  STORY: "Kamloops father acquitted of causing baby's brain injury," by reporter Tim Petruk, pubished by The Vancouver Sun on July 3, 2014.

GIST:  "A Kamloops father was acquitted Thursday on charges he caused brain damage in his baby daughter more than two years ago by violently shaking her.
Michael Beakley showed little emotion as B.C. Supreme Court Justice Hope Hyslop delivered an oral decision, but relatives of the baby’s mother, Cassandra Gunn, became visibly distraught after the verdict was read. “He’ll rot in hell,” Gunn’s mother yelled from the back of the courtroom while hugging her crying daughter. Hunter Beakley was seven months old in February, 2012, when she was taken first to Royal Inland Hospital and then to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver for treatment of a brain injury caused by physical abuse. Hyslop ruled the Crown’s case was too flimsy for a conviction — specifically regarding the timing of the injuries suffered by the child. At trial, court heard a Children’s Hospital doctor testify the injuries could have occurred in a 4.5-hour window on Feb. 14, 2012, during which Hunter was in the sole care of her father. But, the doctor said, they also could have been inflicted as much as a day earlier. Doctors testified Hunter had hemorrhaging in her brain and in her right eye that could only have been caused by physical abuse. In her decision, Hyslop mentioned the “fragile” emotional and mental-health history of Gunn, who admitted to having a hard time with Hunter’s “inconsolable” crying.”"

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.vancouversun.com/Kamloops+father+acquitted+causing+baby+brain+injury/9998737/story.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

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.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.


Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;