An Alberta couple will face a third trial in the death of their son in 2012, after their latest not guilty verdict was thrown out by the Alberta Court of Appeal..Ezekiel Stephan, was 19-months-old when he died and his parents David and Collet Stephan charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life..The couple first went to trial in 2016, where they were convicted. The Supreme Court of Canada ordered another trial at which they were found not guilty last year..The Crown appealed, arguing Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Terry Clackson made remarks that were “abusive” and “crossed the line” about the medical examiner, a Nigerian-born doctor who speaks with an accent, the CBC reported..Bacterial meningitis was the cause of death, ruled the judge in the first trial. But in the second trial, the judge agreed with the defence’s medical expert, who said the boy died from a lack of oxygen in the ambulance..In acquitting the couple and siding with Dr. Anny Sauvageau, the judge made comments that led to a group of legal and medical experts calling for a racism investigation, said the CBC.. The Court of Appeal said Clackson’s comments about the doctor’s manner of speaking “lead to a reasonable apprehension of bias.”.Adeagbo, who performed Ezekiel’s autopsy, said toddler died from meningitis, which would have been treatable had the parents taken him to a doctor..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694.‘
An Alberta couple will face a third trial in the death of their son in 2012, after their latest not guilty verdict was thrown out by the Alberta Court of Appeal..Ezekiel Stephan, was 19-months-old when he died and his parents David and Collet Stephan charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life..The couple first went to trial in 2016, where they were convicted. The Supreme Court of Canada ordered another trial at which they were found not guilty last year..The Crown appealed, arguing Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Terry Clackson made remarks that were “abusive” and “crossed the line” about the medical examiner, a Nigerian-born doctor who speaks with an accent, the CBC reported..Bacterial meningitis was the cause of death, ruled the judge in the first trial. But in the second trial, the judge agreed with the defence’s medical expert, who said the boy died from a lack of oxygen in the ambulance..In acquitting the couple and siding with Dr. Anny Sauvageau, the judge made comments that led to a group of legal and medical experts calling for a racism investigation, said the CBC.. The Court of Appeal said Clackson’s comments about the doctor’s manner of speaking “lead to a reasonable apprehension of bias.”.Adeagbo, who performed Ezekiel’s autopsy, said toddler died from meningitis, which would have been treatable had the parents taken him to a doctor..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694.‘
