PASSAGE THREE OF THE DAY: "It has been reported that during the court proceedings, a Justice from the Court of Appeals wrote an email to the trial judge expressing concerns about Dr. Dewi’s testimony. In the email, the former reportedly wrote that he believed Dr. Dewi breached his duty as an expert by deciding on the outcome he wanted, then “working out an explanation” to achieve it. “Of greatest concern,” he continued, “Dr. Evans makes no effort to provide a balanced opinion…, (which can be considered) a breach of proper professional conduct.” In other words, the Justice questioned Dr. Dewi’s credibility by suggesting he could be biased, but the latter has since asserted that he stands by his report.
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GIST: Directed by Dominic Sivyer, Netflix’s ‘The Investigation of Lucy Letby’ is a documentary exploring the case of the titular former neonatal nurse who is a convicted serial child killer. It was in 2023 when she was found guilty of 7 counts of murder and 7 counts of attempted murder in connection with the high number of infant deaths at her workplace at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016. However, the ordeal remains far from closed, partly because the credibility of the lead prosecutorial professional expert witness, Dr. Dewi Evans, has since reportedly come into question.
Dr. Dewi Evans Served as a Consultant Pediatrician For Three Decades
Hailing from a loving, supportive household in Carmarthen, Wales, Dewi Evans was just a young boy when he developed a keen interest in the world of healthcare as well as medicine. Therefore, as soon as he graduated from Carmarthen Grammar School in 1966, he enrolled at Cardiff Medical School to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery in the class of 1971. Following this, he went on to attend the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for his specialization/Master’s diploma. It was another two years later, in 1975, that he became a member of the Royal College of Physicians before really kick-starting his career in 1980 as a full-time NHS Consultant Paediatrician.
Dr. Dewi served at Morriston Hospital in Cwmrhydyceirw, Wales, until 1991. He then spread his wings and worked at Singleton Hospital in Swansea, Wales, until he retired in 2009. During this period, he not only became a fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health in 1997 but also led the development of neonatal intensive care services across the nation. As if that’s not enough, the childhood diabetes and endocrinology specialist also gave back to his community by serving as an active member of the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. According to records, he was elected Councillor around the 1990s, shortly before he stood in the 1992 general elections, and he unsuccessfully campaigned to be national chair in 2019 too.
Dr. Dewi Evans Has Been a Key Figure in Many Legal Proceedings Involving Medical Aspects
Since Dr. Dewi Evans had served as the Clinical Director of Paediatrics & Neonatology for years before his retirement, it was hard for him to step away, even though he was ready for a new chapter. Thus, in September 2010, he established Dewi Evans Paediatric Consulting Ltd. with the sole aim of focusing on being an independent witness in cases of child abuse and/or negligence. He had started dabbling as a medical expert witness in 1989, and his ability to explain technical nuances in court was so well received that it soon became part of his full-time profession. Hence, he formed the company to handle his steadily growing work in this field. After reading reports about the case in 2017, he reached out to the authorities to offer his expertise in the Lucy Letby case.
By the mid-2010s, Dr. Dewi had long earned a significant reputation as a medical expert witness thanks to his extensive testimonies in criminal court, especially in high-profile cases. These include the 1989 death of 9-year-old Robert “Robbie” Powell, the 2009 death of Lindsay Alvarez, several cases of the removal of kids from parental care, and a 2018 murder by neglect case of a 6-week-old boy. He was also a key figure in the 1996-1998 case of tween Bonnie Lewis and her mother, Linda Lewis, which involved several misdiagnoses, claims of Munchausen by proxy, and more.
Dr. Dewi was one of the professionals who had claimed Linda suffered from the syndrome of “attention seeking by proxy,” which later raised several debates on mistakes in medicine. Nevertheless, owing to most of his other work, he was still well respected in the field, so the police accepted his help when he contacted them in 2017 after reading about the Lucy Letby case in the newspaper. So, he ended up being the paediatric/neonatal expert throughout the investigation, meaning he reviewed all the clinical records, prepared reports on the causes of death for the infants, and served as the star prosecutorial witness during the 10-month trial that commenced in October 2022.
Dr. Dewi Evans Maintains His Opinions in the Lucy Letby Case To This Day
Dr. Dewi’s testimony against former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was key in her August 2023 conviction on 7 counts of murder as well as 7 counts of attempted murder. Even though there was no physical evidence tying her to the alleged crimes and no witnesses to her actions, there was a mountain of circumstantial evidence that pointed fingers at her alone. However, since then, many have expressed doubts over her convictions, especially because a team of other medical experts reevaluated the clinical evidence and indicated there was no crime or murder committed.
It has been reported that during the court proceedings, a Justice from the Court of Appeals wrote an email to the trial judge expressing concerns about Dr. Dewi’s testimony. In the email, the former reportedly wrote that he believed Dr. Dewi breached his duty as an expert by deciding on the outcome he wanted, then “working out an explanation” to achieve it. “Of greatest concern,” he continued, “Dr. Evans makes no effort to provide a balanced opinion…, (which can be considered) a breach of proper professional conduct.” In other words, the Justice questioned Dr. Dewi’s credibility by suggesting he could be biased, but the latter has since asserted that he stands by his report.
In late 2024, Lucy’s team claimed that Dr. Dewi had altered his view on how three infants had died at her place of work between 2015 and 2016. They asserted they will ask the Court of Appeal to immediately review all of her convictions based on this new revelation, yet the medical professional quickly came forward to deny it. He said their “observations regarding my evidence is unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate… It’s highly disrespectful to the families of babies murdered and harmed by Lucy Letby.” Today, his focus is on maintaining his standing and supporting what he believes to be the truth. As of writing, the 76-year-old is leading a quiet life in Carmarthen, Wales, surrounded by his loved ones. Per reports, he has been enjoying his retirement since closing down Dewi Evans Paediatric Consulting Ltd. in June 2024."
The entire story can be read at:
https://thecinemaholic.com/dr-dewi-evans/PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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 Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
