Monday, April 14, 2025

Seasonal Break! Publisher's Note:

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Dear Readers: It's time for a seasonal break! I haven't had one for more that a year, I have just gone through some heavy-duty eye surgery, my batteries need charging, and you can probably use a break from me. I will only be posting during this time - usually about 10 days - if there is something that requires immediate reporting; In the meantime, please continue to alert me about any cases, issues, developments, whatever, that arise during this period, to kickstart my return back to action.

Be well! Cheers!

Harold Levy Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog:

hlevy15@gmail.com

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Sunday, April 13, 2025

Neonatal Nurse Lucy Letby: U.K. 'UnHerd; (Reporters David Rose and Cleric de Oliveira) reports that the case against her is "weakening", noting that though she was convicted of killing seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, only one hospital staff member - consultant Dr Ravi Jayaram — claims to have seen her act suspiciously - and that an email which was not disclosed to the defence before Letby’s trials clashes with his testimony to the jury…"Jayaram’s email described Baby K’s deterioration and suggested Letby called him about low oxygen levels — a detail that appears to conflict with his later testimony. After the other nurse left the room, he wrote: “Staff nurse Letby [was] at incubator and called Dr Jayaram to inform of low saturations.” He also wrote that the baby’s subsequent death was consistent with complications from extreme prematurity. The section in the email about Baby K was not included in the final report to the police."

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "It was not until late September that Letby’s former defence team was finally sent the email by Operation Duet, the police inquiry into possible corporate or gross negligence manslaughter at the Chester hospital unit. We understand it will now be added to the dossier submitted by Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is being asked to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal."

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STORY: "Hidden email casts doubt on Lucy Letby verdict,' by David Rose and Cleric de Oliveira, published by UnHerd, on April 13, 2025. ( David Rose is UnHerd’s Investigations Editor. Cleuci de Oliveira is a journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian, among other publications.)

GIST: "The case against nurse Lucy Letby is weakening. Though she was convicted of killing seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, only one hospital staff member — consultant Dr Ravi Jayaram — claims to have seen her act suspiciously.

Jayaram’s testimony was key in both trials over the attempted murder of the infant known as Baby K. After the first jury failed to agree, Letby was convicted and sentenced to a whole life order for this crime last July. The central pillars of her other guilty verdicts are the claim that she was always present when babies died or collapsed unexpectedly, and medical evidence which has come under sustained attack from British and international experts, who say that none of the infants were deliberately harmed.

According to Jayaram’s testimony, when he walked into a room where Letby was alone with Baby K, he discovered that the infant’s oxygen levels had plummeted because her breathing tube had been dislodged, and that the nurse was standing over the baby’s cot without raising the alarm. “Lucy Letby was stood next to the incubator. She wasn’t looking at me. She didn’t have her hands in the incubator,” he told the court at her retrial.

Yet in an email seen by UnHerd, Jayaram initially suggested that, in fact, Letby had called him for help, and this was why he went to see Baby K. This was exculpatory evidence that could have helped Letby’s defence team, yet her lawyers were not told of its existence before either trial. It was not disclosed to them until late September last year.

Born at 25 weeks on 17 February 2016, Baby K struggled to breathe and was placed on a ventilator. Jayaram was first interviewed by police in September 2017 about the rise in neonatal deaths at Letby’s unit. He recalled checking on Baby K unprompted, saying: “I hadn’t walked in because I’d been called. I walked in just to check.”

On several further occasions, Jayaram repeated the claim that no one had warned him there was a problem before he entered Baby K’s room: in statements to police, in his courtroom evidence at Letby’s trials, and at the public inquiry chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall, whose report is expected later this year. In one statement in 2018, he said that usually, when a baby’s oxygen level fell, a nurse would “come looking for a doctor to assist”, but Letby “had not called me in”.

Giving evidence at Letby’s re-trial, he said that when he was told that another nurse who had been looking after Baby K was going to leave her alone with Letby in order to speak to the infant’s parents, he became deeply concerned because “we had had a number of unusual incidents with babies” and he had “noted the association with Lucy Letby being present”. This made him feel “very uncomfortable”, which was why he went to check, finding Baby K was desaturating while Letby did nothing to help her. Prosecuting counsel Nick Johnson KC asked Jayaram: “Did you hear any call for help from Lucy Letby?” His answer: “No, not at all.”

The prosecution said that Letby had deliberately dislodged the breathing tube, and that Jayaram had caught her “virtually red-handed”. Later, at the Thirlwall Inquiry, Jayaram said he wished he had reported the incident at the time: “I lie awake thinking about this… I should have been braver.”

Yet in his first account of Baby K’s desaturation, Jayaram wrote that far from going to check Baby K because he felt uncomfortable that she was alone with Letby, the real reason was that Letby herself had raised the alarm and asked him for help.

He set this out in an email to seven of his colleagues dated 4 May 2017. Its timing was significant. The previous July, Letby had been moved to clerical work as a result of concerns raised by Jayaram and other doctors. But she had lodged a grievance for bullying and harassment, and this had been upheld. Now the doctors were hoping to involve the police, who at first had seemed reluctant. Jayaram was commenting on a draft of a report they would shortly send to detectives, asking them to investigate.

He was blunt about its purpose: “for the police to have their interest piqued”. To do this, he suggested, the doctors should “highlight explicitly for these cases that LL was in attendance and in close proximity to the incubators (in those situations we know for a fact she was)”. He went on to suggest additions to the report about cases with which he had been involved, “hopefully more in a stating the facts way than a subjective finger pointing way”.

Jayaram’s email described Baby K’s deterioration and suggested Letby called him about low oxygen levels — a detail that appears to conflict with his later testimony. After the other nurse left the room, he wrote: “Staff nurse Letby [was] at incubator and called Dr Jayaram to inform of low saturations.” He also wrote that the baby’s subsequent death was consistent with complications from extreme prematurity. The section in the email about Baby K was not included in the final report to the police.

Jayaram’s email was not disclosed to the defence before Letby’s trials. In other documents seen by UnHerd, Cheshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service state that they only became aware of it in August 2024 — one month after Letby had been convicted of attempting to murder Baby K.

However, the documents say it was supplied to the Thirlwall Inquiry, but it was not discussed there nor published on its website. We asked the Inquiry whether it received the email before or after Letby’s retrial, but it refused to comment.

It was not until late September that Letby’s former defence team was finally sent the email by Operation Duet, the police inquiry into possible corporate or gross negligence manslaughter at the Chester hospital unit. We understand it will now be added to the dossier submitted by Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is being asked to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal.

Jayaram did not respond to a request for comment. A Countess of Chester Hospital spokesperson told UnHerd: “Due to the Thirlwall Inquiry and ongoing police investigations, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

The entire story can be read at:

https://search.app/2zFRyZ1JZJUBCc

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985

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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

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Publisher's Note: Time for a seasonal break! Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

Be well! Cheers!

Harold Levy Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog:

hlevy15@gmail.com

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Saturday, April 12, 2025

Tempe Train Disaster: Greece: Part Two: (Alarming development): A bomb has exploded outside offices of Greek rail accident company in Athens, Agency France (with AP) reports noting that: "Hellenic Train said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by. The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway accident, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured."… Local media said a newspaper and a news website had received an anonymous call shortly before Friday’s blast, with the caller warning that a bomb had been planted outside the railway company offices and would explode within about 40 minutes. In a statement, Hellenic Train said the explosion had occurred "very close to its central offices" and said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by."

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The crash exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system, including in safety systems and has triggered mass protests − led by relatives of the victims − against the country’s conservative government. Critics accused authorities of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or holding senior officials accountable. So far, only rail officials have been charged with any crimes. Several protests in recent weeks have turned violent, with demonstrators clashing with police. Earlier Friday, a heated debate in Parliament on the rail crash led to lawmakers voting to refer a former Cabinet minister to judicial authorities to be investigated over alleged violation of duty over his handling of the immediate aftermath of the accident."

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STORY: Bomb explodes outside offices of Greek rail accident company in Athens, published by Le Monde (with AP) on April 12, 2025.

SUB-HEADING: "Hellenic Train said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by. The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway accident, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured."

GIST: "A bomb planted near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway company, exploded Friday night, April 11, in a busy district of central Athens, authorities said. There were no reports of injuries.

The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway accident, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track.

Local media said a newspaper and a news website had received an anonymous call shortly before Friday’s blast, with the caller warning that a bomb had been planted outside the railway company offices and would explode within about 40 minutes.

In a statement, Hellenic Train said the explosion had occurred "very close to its central offices" and said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by.

It said authorities had acted immediately upon receiving information about the warning call and that the company was cooperating fully with authorities and ensuring the safety of its staff.

Police cordoned off the site along a major avenue in the Greek capital, keeping residents and tourists away from the building in an area with several bars and restaurants. Officers at the scene said a bag containing an explosive device had been placed near the Hellenic Train building on Syngrou Avenue.

Police forensics experts wearing white coveralls were collecting evidence at the scene.

Heated debate in Parliament

Criticism over the government’s handling of the February 28, 2023 collision at Tempe in northern Greece has mounted over the last few weeks in the wake of the second anniversary of the disaster, which killed mostly young people who had been returning to university classes after a public holiday.

New

The crash exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system, including in safety systems and has triggered mass protests − led by relatives of the victims − against the country’s conservative government.

Critics accused authorities of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or holding senior officials accountable.

So far, only rail officials have been charged with any crimes.

Several protests in recent weeks have turned violent, with demonstrators clashing with police.

Earlier Friday, a heated debate in Parliament on the rail crash led to lawmakers voting to refer a former Cabinet minister to judicial authorities to be investigated over alleged violation of duty over his handling of the immediate aftermath of the accident."

The entire story can be read at:

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/04/12/bomb-explodes-outside-offices-of-greek-rail-accident-company-in-athens_6740131_4.html

SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985

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Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

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Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

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Tempe Train Disaster: Greece: (Part One): Tempe victims’ families have presented research pointing to an illegal cargo as cause of the 'fireball', eKathimerini (Reporter Aris Dimitrakopoulos), reports, noting that: The association’s president, Maria Karystianou, said that the initial report by the Hellenic Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA) was accurate, adding that the fire was caused by illegal fuel cargo. “The report brought to light some truths that are uncomfortable but cannot be denied,” she said, adding that the president of HARSIA had challenged his own experts for “daring to speak the scientific truth.”

BACKGROUND: The Press Project: Link Below:

Tempe case timeline: Cover-up allegations, forensic revelations, and Greece's crisis of accountability;

"The Tempe train disaster on 28 February 2023, which claimed 57 lives, exposed critical failures in Greece’s railway safety systems and sparked widespread allegations of a cover-up. Despite repeated warnings from railway workers, key safety upgrades were never implemented, and investigations have since revealed political interference, missing evidence, and potential fuel smuggling on the freight train. Two years on, mass protests, new forensic findings, and fresh legal battles continue to fuel demands for justice and accountability".

https://thepressproject.gr/tempe-case-timeline-cover-up-allegations-forensic-revelations-and-greeces-crisis-of-accountability/

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Nikos Karnavos, a chemical engineer and member of the team of experts commissioned by the victims’ families, presented their findings. According to Karnavos, samples taken and analyzed by the State General Chemical Laboratory showed that the soil at the crash site contained abnormally high levels of hydrocarbons, at least 400 times above natural limits, levels that could not be explained by anything other than the presence of illegal cargo on the freight train. “The fact that there was fuel cannot be disputed, there was fuel that burned people,” he said. Karnavos also noted that silicone oil does not ignite under the conditions that existed during the crash. He explained that two of the three engines containing silicone oil were not damaged at all, and significant amounts of the oil were found intact at the scene."

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STORY: "Tempe victims' families present research pointing to illegal cargo as cause of fireball, eKathimerini (Reporter Aris Dimitrakopoulos) on April 11, 2025.

GIST: "Research presented at a press conference Friday by experts representing the Tempe Victims Association indicates that the freight train involved in the Tempe collision was carrying illegal flammable materials.

The association’s president, Maria Karystianou, said that the initial report by the Hellenic Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA) was accurate, adding that the fire was caused by illegal fuel cargo.

“The report brought to light some truths that are uncomfortable but cannot be denied,” she said, adding that the president of HARSIA had challenged his own experts for “daring to speak the scientific truth.”

Nikos Karnavos, a chemical engineer and member of the team of experts commissioned by the victims’ families, presented their findings.

According to Karnavos, samples taken and analyzed by the State General Chemical Laboratory showed that the soil at the crash site contained abnormally high levels of hydrocarbons, at least 400 times above natural limits, levels that could not be explained by anything other than the presence of illegal cargo on the freight train.

“The fact that there was fuel cannot be disputed, there was fuel that burned people,” he said.

Karnavos also noted that silicone oil does not ignite under the conditions that existed during the crash. He explained that two of the three engines containing silicone oil were not damaged at all, and significant amounts of the oil were found intact at the scene.

Pavlos Aslanidis, the father of one of the Tempe victims, emotionally told the press that 27 people were burned in the incident and demanded accountability.

“Twenty-seven children were burned alive in that explosion. One of them was my son,” he said.

The press conference was organized as the presence or absence of illegal cargo on the freight train became a central point of contention between several victims’ families and the state.

The original HARSIA report acknowledged the presence of an unidentified substance that may have contributed to the explosion and subsequent fire.

Earlier this week, however, HARSIA President Christos Papadimitriou made the controversial decision to remove this section after statements from foreign universities consulted by the agency clarified that they had only reviewed the methodology and did not contribute to or endorse the conclusion."

The entire story can be read at:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1266772/tempe-victims-families-present-research-pointing-to-illegal-cargo-as-cause-of-fireball/

SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985

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Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

—————————————————————————————————

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

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the charles smith blog

Monday, April 14, 2025

Seasonal Break! Publisher's Note:

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Publisher's Note: Time for a seasonal break! Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

Saturday, April 12, 2025

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