COUNTDOWN: 6 days to Wrongful Conviction Day: (Thursday October 2, 2014); Participant's quote: "One exoneree with whom the Griffith University Innocence Project had the good fortune and great honour to work, was the late Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter. Like so many other exonerees, Rubin exemplified he resilience of human dignity against all odds. As he once said: "The miracle is the beauty of the human spirit...forgiveness and the will to fight for what is right and just." The stories of the exonerees teach us many important lessons, including that those of us involved in the criminal justice system must continually strive to prevent and correct such injustices - and that none of us should take freedom for granted, because it can be taken away." Lynne Weathered Director, Griffith University Innocence Project; Griffith Law School. Queensland. Australia.
STORY: "Murder charge withdrawn in Nova Scotia case of missing woman in wake of 'Mr. Big' ruling," published by CTV News on September 24, 2014.
GIST: "The prosecution service in Nova Scotia withdrew a first-degree murder charge Wednesday in the case of a missing woman because of concerns evidence gained through an undercover police sting may no longer be admissible. Crown attorney Robert Morrison says Albert Baird was released from custody after a hearing in Kentville provincial court. The case was in court for a status update before a preliminary inquiry, which was set to begin early next year. Baird was arrested and charged in May 2013 following the 2002 disappearance of his common-law partner, Rhonda Wilson, a 31-year-old mother of three. Morrison said he withdrew the charge because of a Supreme Court of Canada decision on so-called Mr. Big police sting operations..........Morrison said he had concerns that evidence gained through an undercover operation in the Baird case would no longer be admissible, diminishing the prospect of conviction. "We looked at all the other evidence we had and it just didn't add up to a realistic prospect of conviction," he said in an interview.........In its judgment, the Supreme Court said prosecutors must prove a Mr. Big confession is admissible by showing it's reliable, and that it won't unfairly prejudice a crime suspect during court proceedings. The Crown must also prove the evidence was not obtained via police coercion, or was facilitated due to a suspect's mental health or addiction issues. The Mr. Big investigative technique involves undercover police officers who recruit a suspect to a fictitious criminal organization while posing as gangsters."
STORY: "Murder charge withdrawn in Nova Scotia case of missing woman in wake of 'Mr. Big' ruling," published by CTV News on September 24, 2014.
GIST: "The prosecution service in Nova Scotia withdrew a first-degree murder charge Wednesday in the case of a missing woman because of concerns evidence gained through an undercover police sting may no longer be admissible. Crown attorney Robert Morrison says Albert Baird was released from custody after a hearing in Kentville provincial court. The case was in court for a status update before a preliminary inquiry, which was set to begin early next year. Baird was arrested and charged in May 2013 following the 2002 disappearance of his common-law partner, Rhonda Wilson, a 31-year-old mother of three. Morrison said he withdrew the charge because of a Supreme Court of Canada decision on so-called Mr. Big police sting operations..........Morrison said he had concerns that evidence gained through an undercover operation in the Baird case would no longer be admissible, diminishing the prospect of conviction. "We looked at all the other evidence we had and it just didn't add up to a realistic prospect of conviction," he said in an interview.........In its judgment, the Supreme Court said prosecutors must prove a Mr. Big confession is admissible by showing it's reliable, and that it won't unfairly prejudice a crime suspect during court proceedings. The Crown must also prove the evidence was not obtained via police coercion, or was facilitated due to a suspect's mental health or addiction issues. The Mr. Big investigative technique involves undercover police officers who recruit a suspect to a fictitious criminal organization while posing as gangsters."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/murder-charge-withdrawn-in-n-s-case-of-missing-woman-in-wake-of-mr-big-ruling-1.2022830
See National Post story on recent Supreme Court of Canada decision upholding a confession obtained through a Mr. Big Sting - because the accused was giving the same account to people who were not police officers.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/26/supreme-court-upholds-alberta-murder-conviction-saying-mr-big-confession-admissible-as-evidence/
For background on Wrongful Conviction Day see the following link:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2014/06/wrongful-convictions-day-aidwyc.html
Interested participants may sign up by contacting Win Wahrer of The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted at: winwahrer@aidwyc.org.
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/
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;
