7.4 The aftermath
Following a second appeal, Sally Clark’s conviction was overturned and she was released after serving several years in custody. Williams, the pathologist, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council (GMC). Meadow was also struck off the medical register by the GMC but then reinstated in 2006 after a successful appeal.
In light of the criticisms of Meadows, a number of other cases in which he had appeared as a prosecution expert witness were reviewed, and many convictions were overturned.
You may have strong feelings about what happened in the Sally Clark case. In the following activity, you will have an opportunity to discuss measures that could prevent such an egregious miscarriage of justice happening again.
Activity 9 Preventing future miscarriages of justice
The Sally Clark case appears to cast a dim light on the legal system of England and Wales and the ability of lawyers and the court to scrutinise expert evidence. From what you have learnt in the course, and given what you know of the Sally Clark case, do you think there are any lessons that could be learnt regarding how lawyers and laypeople could scrutinise expert evidence?
Reflect on the Sally Clark case and type your thoughts in the text box. Aim to limit your response to 200 words.
Discussion
You will have your own thoughts on the Sally Clark case, but it highlights a number of shortcomings in the way expert evidence was handled that, as we hope to have demonstrated in this course, we nonetheless have tools to address.