Abuse cases doc face probe
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Abuse cases doctors face probe
The cases of the sex abuse expert and the cot death expert
Dr Camille San Lazaro
Dozens
of child abuse cases could be re-opened because of the evidence of an expert,
Dr Camille San Lazaro, who today has become
controversial.
Calls have been made for a review after a North East man had his conviction for
raping a boy overturned because of the evidence of Dr Lazaro.
Dr Lazaro was criticised in
2002 for her role in the investigation into false claims of abuse at a Newcastle nursery. The victims of
the expert evidence were Dawn Reed and Christopher Lillie.
The links below give more information about the Dawn Reed and Christopher
Lillie case. Judge Eady's verdict is brilliant.
Abuse
cases doc face probe
By Rob Kennedy
The Evening Chronicle, January 26, 2004
Evening
Chronicle comment
Review abuse claims
By The Evening Chronicle
The Evening Chronicle, January 26, 2004
Landmark decision in High Court
Landmark decision in the High Court - Judge Eady's verdict. Part I
Landmark decision in the High Court - Judge Eady's verdict. Part II
Landmark decision in the High Court - Judge Eady's verdict. Part III
Sir Roy Meadow
The High Court has ordered an enquiry into the thousands of children taken from their parents on the say-so of 'expert' witnesses. This follows the release from prison of three mothers accused of killing their children. Sir Roy Meadow, the doctor whose evidence was crucial, constructed what came to be called "Meadow's Law". He told the court that, one death is 'Cot-death syndrome'; two is unfortunate, three is murder - even where there was no evidence against the mothers. This has been accepted for 10 years. Then, after a long and fascinating defence mounted by the husband of one of the imprisoned women, it emerged that this eminent doctor HAS NO research so support his outrageous claim that Munchausen by Proxy even exists - except as a lucrative theory of his own. He never even interviewed one of the mothers whose children he caused to be taken away. He also claims to have 'destroyed' all his research material.
Many other doctors have always said that it was a genetic pre-disposition that caused the deaths and almost magical support of this was found by the husband of the woman in prison. He found that his wife had an unknown, distant cousin in Ireland and that this woman too had lost three of her children to 'unexplained death'. She was not, however, put in prison because doctors didn't know what caused the deaths.
The power of experts to cause such damage, without adequate research or anything but a theory to support them and with that, the secrecy of the Family Courts who often take away a woman's children, even after she has been acquitted in a criminal court, is now to be investigated. Already the judges have been told that 'expert' witness cannot be a reason to convict anybody; there must be other evidence.
All this has suddenly come tumbling out into the light of day and the Lord Chief Justice has ordered a thorough investigation into this whole area. It is being said that there will be several thousand children eligible to be returned to their natural parents - and a huge problem to solve, when the children have been adopted. But at least it's a start.
Cot death
review may overturn thousands of care orders
By Robert Verkaik
Global experts slam cot
death policy
BBC News
Wider cot deaths review
considered
BBC News
Statement on Professor Sir Samuel Roy Meadow
Expert in baby death cases charged with
misconduct
By Celia Hall
'We can't reunite thousands of mothers with
children wrongly taken from them'
By Melissa Kite
Desperately seeking justice
By David Cohen