Sorry if this has already been discussed, but do we know why the overturned conviction from 2007 has been allowed as evidence?
Is it so the prosecution can try and show a pattern of abuse by the parent(s).
Or the defence can try and show a pattern of victimisation of the parents by SS etc.
Or both/something else.
Just curious, my gut feeling is it's supposed to be for the benefit of the defence, but will backfire. I think it would have been a pretty uphill task for the prosecution to get an overturned conviction admitted.
Excellent thinking, I must admit I was confused that it had been allowed in to evidence, but I hadn't really pondered why.
It has to be at the insistence of the defendants, because they have a right to have it withheld from the jury I believe. So they thought it would add weight to their case - they are the victims.
Thinking more on it, why would the Crown want the jury to know they had been exonerated?
I think you're right, it will backfire. The jury is not going to think that the appeal judge was unquestionably right, they will see it as being something the CPS couldn't prove to the standard required, because there were conflicting expert opinions. It adds weight to the prosecution case in my view. It isn't coincidence that in a very short life there were 3 skull fractures, skull trauma, a history of bleeds on the brain, a broken shoulder not treated, and two black eyes and other head bruising, as well as many unexplained absences from school in less than two terms. And a child who is wetting herself as I've honed in on above.