Doctors fight scope of inquest into death of teenaged inmate Ashley Smith
September 27, 2012 - 1:49 PM
TORONTO - Doctors who treated a deeply troubled teenager are now planning to fight the scope of the coroner's inquest into her death in a prison cell in Ontario five years ago.
The challenge threatens to further delay the already much-delayed proceedings into Ashley Smith's death.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press show the three doctors argue the scope of the inquest as outlined by the presiding coroner is unconstitutional because it includes events that occurred outside Ontario.
The 19-year-old Smith spent the past 11 months of her life being shuttled from one prison to another in various parts of the country — much of it in solitary confinement.
She choked to death in her cell at a federal penitentiary in Kitchener, Ont., in October 2007 after numerous episodes of self-harm.
The challenge to the scope has infuriated Smith's family, who say medical professionals are trying to escape scrutiny.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012