A year of fear
An article I found by Adam Fresco
in The (London) Times, Tuesday January
19th 1999
Everyone should read this. If this case had gone to trial what would have
been the outcome? A life sentence for sure and another innocent incarcerated.
A FATHER accused of murdering his newborn baby was cleared yesterday after the prosecution
admitted that a doctor had made a terrible mistake. For nearly a year, Richard Thorn
lived with the dread that he could be jailed for killing his five-week-old daughter
Danielle in September 1997. He was arrested five months later, but yesterday Reading
Crown court was told that the Home Office pathologist had ignored evidence proving
that he could not have been responsible for the death.
Mr Thorn 32, of Britwell Slough,
was charged because he had sole charge of the child when she stopped breathing. He
ran to a neighbour in panic and called an ambulance and he and one of the ambulance
crew tried to revive her but she died in hospital seven hours later. When the hospital
pathologist found that the baby's body was bruised, the Home Office pathologist Vesna
Djurovic was summoned and she discovered that Danielle had a fractured skull. The
court was told that Dr Djurovic concluded that the baby had been hit on the head
at least twice causing a fatal brain injury.
Mr Thorn was charged with murder but
the defence ordered a further post-mortem examination and that doctor examined slides
taken at the time of the first autopsy. He concluded that the simple skull fracture
was days old. Yesterday Adrian Redgrave for the prosecution offered no evidence saying,
“there was only ever a case against this defendant if it could be proved that Dr
Djurovic's conclusions were correct.”
Mr Justice Gage recorded a formal verdict of
not guilty and said: "It is a matter of huge regret that Mr Thorn has lived in the
context of the accusation that he had killed his much cared-for and loved child.
It has had obvious consequences both at work and domestically. He has retained the
support of family and friends, but there's always a cloud after the accusation of
murder of your own child. It is important that this defendant leave the court without
a stain on his character.” He added: "It is a matter of very considerable regret
that the doctor who carried out the postmortem examination did not see fit to examine
the slides available until after the defence expert had been instructed and reported”.
Anyone who doubts that Louise Woodward is innocent should read the above very carefully,
and then contemplate that in her case:
1. Not one but seven US (and 4 UK) eminent
specialists all said the fracture was old.
2. Louise was refused a defence autopsy.
3.
The body was buried in Chicago before her defence even knew about the fracture.
4.
The man who did the autopsy for the prosecution was proved incompetent shortly after.
5.
The defence had to work from photographs supplied to them by the prosecution, 18
of which (the clearest) did not turn up until the day before the trial finished.
These
so called SBS cases are no different than the witchcraft trials of the 17th century.
The evidence is riddled with error. Zealots want the accused to be convicted.
Thank goodness that did not happen to Richard Thorn.
www.slimeylimeyjustice.org