Exam Videotapes a Treasure Trove for Defense in Calif. Child Sex Cases
An unknown number of child sex-abuse convictions in Santa Clara County, Calif., could be overturned after the discovery of some 3,000 videotapes of medical exams dating back to 1991 that were never turned over to defense lawyers.
The tapes, which came to light as medical experts reviewed the cases of Agustin Uribe and another convicted defendant, have already resulted in the reversal of Uribe’s sexual assault conviction by the Sixth District Court of Appeals, reports the San Jose Mercury News. He faces retrial next month, in a case in which the alleged victim, a child relative, has provided contradictory accounts of what happened.
“Though prosecutors downplay the significance of the tapes, experts for the defense say the videotapes could make a huge difference in child sex-abuse cases that rest heavily on medical evidence,” the newspaper writes.
The tapes reportedly were taken at the direction of Mary Ritter of the Center for Child Protection at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, for medical training purposes rather than as intended evidence. However, the Santa Clara public defender’s office is now requesting the videotapes in every child sex abuse case, after Uribe’s conviction was overturned.
