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Note the QUESTION MARK!SEEMS outrageous to put this in, is it a small or big point?Sudden

Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) : Lessons from the Sally case

by ZEEKIN on 7

DECEMBER 2011

Sally

– A Victim of a Miscarriage of Justice ?

Speaker

: Professor W ByardDate

: 8 December 2011 (Thursday) Time

: 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm Venue

: Health Sciences Authority Auditorium HSA Building, 11 Outram Road,

S’pore 169078 Registration

: Free

Abstract

In November

1999, in the United Kingdom, a woman was convicted of the murder of

her two infant sons. An appeal against the conviction was dismissed

in October 2000, but the conviction was quashed by a second

court of appeal in January 2003.

Review of the

autopsy findings showed that standard procedures had not always been

followed, thus limiting verification of the alleged findings. Some

potentially important diagnoses and conclusions were also

altered over time.

This case and

its sequelae demonstrate the difficulties that may arise if cases are

not fully investigated by pathologists with specific training or

experience in paediatric forensic pathology, with all of the

results being clearly summarised and discussed in autopsy

reports.

Trying to

clarify findings, diagnoses and circumstances of death at a later

stage may simply not be feasible, owing to a wide variety of

possibilities other than inflicted injury.

This type of

case has unfortunately led to mistrust of the medical and legal

systems and has made the investigation of such emotive and

tragic cases all the harder.

About

the Speaker

Professor

Byard holds the Marks Professor of Pathology at the University

of Adelaide and is a Senior Specialist Forensic Pathologist at

Forensic Science SA in Adelaide, Australia. He is also a

paediatric pathologist.

Prof Byard

qualified in medicine in Australia in 1978 (University of

Tasmania, MBBS) and obtained a Canadian medical qualification in

1982 (LMCC). He holds fellowships in Anatomical Pathology in

Canada (FRCPC), the United States (FCAP), the United Kingdom

(FRCPath) and Australia (FRCPAHon). He was a Foundation Member

of the Australian College of Legal Medicine and is a Foundation

Fellow of the Faculty of Forensic Medicine of the Royal College

of Physicians (FFFLM) and a Foundation Fellow of the Faculty of

Science of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia

(FFSc). He also has a certification in Family Medicine with

the Canadian College of Family Physicians (CCFP). He has two

higher degrees: a Doctor of Medicine (MD) and a Master of

Medical Science (MMedSci), both from the University of Adelaide.

Prof Byard has

published over 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has

also presented or coauthored over 400 papers at national and

international meetings. He has written a text on Sudden Death in

the Young and has coedited a text on sudden infant death

syndrome (SIDS) and the four volume Encyclopedia of Forensic

and Legal Medicine. He is Editor-in Chief of the international

journal Forensic Science Medicine and Pathology.

Registration

Registration

is free. To register, please contact at 93876059;

or email medlegalsociety@...

Tagged

as: autopsy, Coroner, forensics