This is probably the most important news, at least in Ontario, for a while. A deeply flawed system that ignored evidentiary requirements led to untold suffering.
Inquiry report slams child forensic pathology
A final inquiry report on child forensic pathology in Ontario concludes the system is deeply flawed and has led to several wrongful prosecutions, the Canadian Press has learned.
Justice Stephen Goudge compiled a 1,000 page report after presiding over an inquiry into Dr. Charles Smith, the former chief pediatric forensic pathologist in Ontario.
Smith, who has been linked to several flawed assessments, also faces harsh criticism in the report, a source told the news agency.
Goudge's report was formally handed to the Ontario government on Tuesday. The report contains more than 160 recommendations meant to reform the system and ensure accountability and credibility into a coroner's conclusions.
The source said Goudge uses individual cases to exemplify his recommendations.
"His reforms are extensive and are aimed squarely at the accountability and oversight," said the source.
Those recommendations include:
setting up a committee to oversee the chief coroner's office
ensuring pathologists take better care in how they form their opinions about wrongdoing
addressing staff shortages by increasing a pathologist's salary and setting up university programs to train them
Peter Wardle, a lawyer representing five families, said the victims of erroneous child forensic pathology findings will be scrutinizing the report and keeping a close eye on what comes out of it.
Full story here:
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V3&showbyline=True&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20081001%2fpathologist_report_081001
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