That's Justice...
Ontario's disgraced former chief pathologist, Dr.Charles Smith, has officially had his license to practise medicine removed. It is amazing that someone so incompetent, who was very well aware of his lack of competence as a pathologist, was permitted to continue in a post that was so important. His supposedly expert testimony, supported by the trust placed in him as a provincial pathologist, ruined too many lives.
In the course of his professional activities he was responsible for the wrongful conviction of men and women whom he led judge and jury to believe had acted criminally in the deaths of young children. He effectively took away peoples' lives, branded them, through his uncompromising brand of pathological certainty (no pun here) that he had the uncorrupted answers to vexing questions of responsibility for unexplained deaths.
The province continues to pick up the pieces representing the disasters he brought to families. With convictions overturned after innocent people spent years in jail through their wrongful convictions, the province has paid out millions in compensation. As though money could somehow compensate for shame, grief and loss of liberty.
Dr. Smith was decidedly not the leading expert on pediatric forensic pathology he presented himself as, encouraged by his superiors who simply could not be bothered to ensure they had the right professional in the right place. Working out of the Chief Coroner's office he was responsible for inaccurate and often accusatory testimony in 20 investigations of death, which led to criminal charges against parents or other family members.
He believed implicitly in himself, despite his later admissions of insecurity. These professed misgivings never gave him pause to consider what kind of dreadful damage he was doing to other peoples' lives. In this he was horribly irresponsible, arrogant and deliberately oblivious to the harm he was imposing upon others.
He gave misleading evidence under oath. And now has been found guilty of professional misconduct and incompetence by the College of Physicians and Surgeons' disciplinary committee. Took long enough. The committee reached a deliberation that Dr. Smith was deserving of the "most severe" penalty possible, in officially revoking his license.
That will be the extent of the penalties imposed upon this disgusting caricature of a practising medical professional. "It's pretty difficult to charge someone for being incompetent", was the casual reflection of a lawyer. He has been and will continue to be sued in civil court by those whom his testimony caused such grief.
Any findings in favour of those who have sued this dreadful man have been settled by the Government of Ontario, the co-defendant in the suits.
In the course of his professional activities he was responsible for the wrongful conviction of men and women whom he led judge and jury to believe had acted criminally in the deaths of young children. He effectively took away peoples' lives, branded them, through his uncompromising brand of pathological certainty (no pun here) that he had the uncorrupted answers to vexing questions of responsibility for unexplained deaths.
The province continues to pick up the pieces representing the disasters he brought to families. With convictions overturned after innocent people spent years in jail through their wrongful convictions, the province has paid out millions in compensation. As though money could somehow compensate for shame, grief and loss of liberty.
Dr. Smith was decidedly not the leading expert on pediatric forensic pathology he presented himself as, encouraged by his superiors who simply could not be bothered to ensure they had the right professional in the right place. Working out of the Chief Coroner's office he was responsible for inaccurate and often accusatory testimony in 20 investigations of death, which led to criminal charges against parents or other family members.
He believed implicitly in himself, despite his later admissions of insecurity. These professed misgivings never gave him pause to consider what kind of dreadful damage he was doing to other peoples' lives. In this he was horribly irresponsible, arrogant and deliberately oblivious to the harm he was imposing upon others.
He gave misleading evidence under oath. And now has been found guilty of professional misconduct and incompetence by the College of Physicians and Surgeons' disciplinary committee. Took long enough. The committee reached a deliberation that Dr. Smith was deserving of the "most severe" penalty possible, in officially revoking his license.
That will be the extent of the penalties imposed upon this disgusting caricature of a practising medical professional. "It's pretty difficult to charge someone for being incompetent", was the casual reflection of a lawyer. He has been and will continue to be sued in civil court by those whom his testimony caused such grief.
Any findings in favour of those who have sued this dreadful man have been settled by the Government of Ontario, the co-defendant in the suits.
Labels: Health, Human Fallibility, Justice, Ontario
posted by Pieface | 7:29 PM
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