Yes, this is exactly what the evidence is implying. You have to remember that a lot of time there isn't a smoking gun so prosecution have to be careful about how they present the case so they are not giving the jury mistruths. What they can do is heavily imply that you should put 2 and 2 together to get 4.
From the very start of the trial, the coded language suggested this.This is my thoughts exactly
I think the jury have to infer a lot and use their imagination. I feel bad for neuro divergent people who might be on the jury because it's difficult to read between the lines sometimes. Again another reason why jury trials are archiac and it needs a revamp
Yes as other have said, this has been the theory right from the start but they do have to be mindful of how they present this. They’re leading the jury to put all the pieces together.
I keep wondering about the supposed seizures. There must be a medical record of whether he had experienced a seizure before being placed with JV and JMF. Surely, if he never had before, there would have been some medical investigation into his new seizure history? After death, during the autopsy, would his brain show if he ever had had seizures? I am assuming that because there has been no natural causes of death found that epilepsy has been ruled out.
i would guess when JV & JMF are on the stand the prosecuting barrister will ask their questions about sexual assault etc directly. So the jury will be clear. Don’t forget the jury see photos & videos that we don’t. That visual evidence can often be more persuasive & leave less room for inference.
The tests they did after he died didn’t show any evidence of epilepsy. I think the first time they reported a seizure it was assumed to be a febrile convulsion as he was admitted with a chest infection. I get the impression they had just been given general seizure advice because some non-epileptic children are prone to having seizures with a temperature, others will go on to find out they have epilepsy. The medical he had before being placed didn’t mention any neurological conditions. I believe any seizures he had were due to being deprived of oxygen when they assaulted him. It’s possible he would have seizure like episodes due to distress and general trauma as well.
Dr Armour is a very experienced pathologist. According to Google,
I am in agreement, the ‘seizures’ were due to what harm had been caused to him. I’m surprised that if Preston had never had one before being placed with JV/JMF that as a looked after child this wouldn’t have created a red flag or immediate decision to expedite medical investigation into the seizure episodes.
She wouldn't have got him back. But fair play for her contesting it. Lots of birth parents do and it's completely understandable. But if she wasn't appropriate to care for him in the months before his plan for adoption was finalised then she wouldn't have after.
Yeah that’s right. Varley is a very devious and calculated man he spent the whole 4 months planting his little seeds. The fact one of the first things he did when he went into the room after Preston was pronounced dead was lift his lips and question where the bruises had come from says it all. He was getting the accusations in against the poor medical team that had been working on Preston. I don’t want to compliment him by saying he’s clever but he’s clearly highly skilled in manipulation.
Yes, as others have said, this is what we are thinking. There are no words for it. The person who does that should not ever be allowed to be free again. There is no rehabilitation from that. It is horrendous to even read it and allow the words in my brain, let alone Preston having to live through it. I cannot imagine how his foster mum feels, I cry reading about this trial and I didn't know him.
IIRC she had the assistance of a paediatric forensic pathologist as well to observe and confirm her findings. I believe paediatric pathology is a very specialised area and she wanted to be sure that her findings, conclusions and report were spot-on accurate.
Yes, lifting ‘his’ deceased baby’s lip and remarking “that’s new” strikes me as a very unusual thing to do. He knew what he was looking for, and was attempting to deceive by being the person who found the injuries.
Correct. IIRC JV used “seizures” as an excuse for the video/videos on his phone of Preston in respiratory distress.
