STORY: "Aisling Brady McCarthy hearing: baby’s injuries indicated ‘child abuse.’
SUB-HEADING: "Irish nanny faces trial in Massachusetts for murder of 12-month-old girl Rehma Sabir."
PHOTO CAPTION: "Aisling Brady McCarthy faces trial for the murder of 12-month-old Rehma Sabir, who had been in her care as a nanny and was found unconscious at the family’s Cambridge, Massachusetts apartment in January 2013."
GIST: "An opthalmologist under consideration as an expert witness for the upcoming Massachusetts murder trial of Aisling Brady McCarthy has said haemorrhages to the eyes of an infant who died while in Ms McCarthy’s care were consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome. “The only diagnosis that I can come up with: child abuse in this case,” said Dr Alex D Levin, a paediatric opthalmologist with a speciality in child abuse paediatrics who testified in a voir dire hearing in Middlesex County superior court.........“I would say the findings behind the eye - the blood in the sclera [the white portion of the eyeball] - I don’t know of another disease that would cause the blood in the sclera,” said Dr Levin, who said he had examined 52 tissue slides, physicians’ notes and the child’s birth records, as well as photographs of the autopsy of the child. Under examination for 1hr 20m by assistant district attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Dr Levin said in addition to haemorrhages he was able to see in the whites of the baby’s eyes, he also found haemorrhages behind the eyes, in addition to swelling of the optic nerve, and tears in the retina. “I believe the child suffered from abusive head trauma… repetitive acceleration, deceleration… the result of an abusive act which was not accidental,” said Dr Levin. Prosecutors contend the child sustained massive brain injuries consistent with being shaken while in Ms McCarthy’s care.........Under cross-examination, defence attorney David Meier asked Dr Levin about a notation in his report which asked “Could this be Job’s Syndrome?” “That is my thought process. I was talking to myself, asking myself a question that I’d like to have answered,” replied Dr Levin. Such a determination would have to be made in collaboration with review by an immunologist, he said. As of midday the hearing was ongoing. Ms McCarthy’s defence attorneys were expected to continue to press Dr Levin so as to raise additional doubts about his conclusions. Middlesex County superior court judge Maureen Hogan has set April 22nd, 2015, for the trial."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/aisling-brady-mccarthy-hearing-baby-s-injuries-indicated-child-abuse-1.2144406
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;
