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| Expert witnesses to be overhauled | |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| A new centralised system for providing expert medical witnesses to family courts is to be proposed by the chief medical Officer for England. | A new centralised system for providing expert medical witnesses to family courts is to be proposed by the chief medical Officer for England. |
| Sir Liam Donaldson's plans come amid unease about the role of medical witnesses in alleged child abuse cases. | |
| Trials of mothers such as Sally Clark, jailed after being wrongly convicted of killing her two sons, have provoked public anger. | |
| And it is believed medical experts have been deterred from giving evidence. | And it is believed medical experts have been deterred from giving evidence. |
| Incentives test | Incentives test |
| Currently, solicitors take responsibility for sourcing expert witnesses. | Currently, solicitors take responsibility for sourcing expert witnesses. |
| But Sir Liam is due to publish a report on Monday outlining proposed new arrangements. | But Sir Liam is due to publish a report on Monday outlining proposed new arrangements. |
| They would see a more structured system, called the National Knowledge Service, providing a larger pool of expert witnesses as part of the NHS. | They would see a more structured system, called the National Knowledge Service, providing a larger pool of expert witnesses as part of the NHS. |
| There would be new standards, aiming to guarantee the quality of work. | There would be new standards, aiming to guarantee the quality of work. |
| The test of any system would be whether it gives enough incentives for more experts to come forward, and whether courts feel it gives them enough independence. | The test of any system would be whether it gives enough incentives for more experts to come forward, and whether courts feel it gives them enough independence. |
| In the case of Mrs Clark, retired paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow was struck off after giving flawed evidence at her 1999 trial. | In the case of Mrs Clark, retired paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow was struck off after giving flawed evidence at her 1999 trial. |
| He had told a jury there was a "one in 73 million" chance of two children dying from cot deaths in an affluent family. | He had told a jury there was a "one in 73 million" chance of two children dying from cot deaths in an affluent family. |
| Mrs Clark's conviction was later quashed in the Court of Appeal on grounds unrelated to Sir Roy's evidence. | Mrs Clark's conviction was later quashed in the Court of Appeal on grounds unrelated to Sir Roy's evidence. |