PUBLISHER'S VIEW: (Editorial): Justice Goudge makes clear in his address that former doctor Charles Smith was a "rogue" pathologist. The Free Dictionary defines "rogue" as, "an unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person; a scoundrel or rascal. 2. One who is playfully mischievous; a scamp. 3. A wandering beggar; a vagrant. Part of that definition works with Smith. "Unprincipled." Yes. "Deceitful." Yes. Unreliable. No. The police and prosecutors could rely on him to deliver convictions, whether the facts warranted them or not. I reject the rest of the definition because Smith was far from a caricature such as a scamp or a knave. He looked, dressed and played the part of someone who was fair and neutral - and was anything but. And he tore the hearts out of so many individuals and families. Yes, there were forensic failings by others in the criminal justice system which led to wrongful prosecutions and convictions. But this should not take away the unquestionable direct responsibility of Charles Smith. As Justice Goudge concluded in his Inquiry report: "Dr. Smith was adamant that his failings were never intentional. I simply cannot accept such a sweeping attempt to escape moral responsibility."
Harold Levy. Publisher. The Charles Smith Blog.
STORY: "We can be bamboozled by junk science," Stephen Goudge tells Guelph audience," by reporter Joanne Shuttleworth, published by the Guelph Mercury.
GIST: "The medical and scientific
community does not understand the inner workings of law. Nor do judges
and lawyers really understand scientific evidence and what can and
cannot be concluded from those findings. So said the Honourable Stephen Goudge at the
second Truscott Lecture in Justice, at the University of Guelph
Wednesday evening. Goudge has a long list of professional
accolades and achievements but he is perhaps best known for conducting
an inquiry into the forensic findings of Dr. Charles Smith and of
pediatric forensic pathology in the province in general in 2007.........Goudge said he reviewed Smith's files and
reports, "but this was not just a rogue pathologist," he said. "There
were systemic failures and lawyers, judges and Dr. Smith all had
responsibility."........Goudge said training programs have been
established and great strides have been made since his report was
released. But recommendations are not requirements, Goudge said, and
there is still a way to go to reform the system. "But one of the hopeful things for me since
we finished six years ago is that as inadequate as the system was in the
past, there's general willingness to do better," he said."We understand now we can be bamboozled by junk science. We have to raise our game.""
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/5337401--we-can-be-bamboozled-by-junk-science-stephen-goudge-tells-guelph-audience/
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;
