Crown Seeks To Throw Over Infanticide Convictions

One of the arguments used by shaken baby proponents is confessions by alleged perpetrators of the crime. Confessions are part of their evidence as to the existence of the theory of shaken baby syndrome. How reliable is such evidence when even the Crown concedes as below that these mothers were pressured to plead guilty and are now seeking to have those convictions overturned. Updated: Wed Oct. 20 2010 9:30:07 AM ctvtoronto.ca Discredited pathologist Dr. Charles Smith   The Ontario Court of Appeal will be asked today to throw out the convictions of two women who pleaded guilty to killing their babies, according to a report. The two women were convicted based on testimony of pathologist Dr. Charles Smith, whose testimony has since been found to have been responsible for a number of wrongful convictions. The Toronto Star reported that the Crown will ask the Court of Appeal to overturn the convictions on Wednesday. The Crown concedes that the women felt pressured to plead guilty to infanticide and will seek new trials. Both women, who cannot be named because of publication bans, have said they didn’t know they were pregnant when they gave birth in the bathrooms of their homes. In 2008, the province launched an investigation into shaken baby cases in which Smith played a role. Source: http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101020/101020-infanticide-convictions/20101020?hub=TorontoNewHome