Diagnosing Murder
Since the 1970s, shaken baby syndrome has been seen as a clear indicator of child abuse. But internationally over the past three decades, this medical orthodoxy has come under increasing scrutiny. A growing number of doctors, scientists, and lawyers has challenged the diagnosis, claiming it's been responsible for numerous miscarriages of justice.
In Australia, though, these questions have barely been raised. Courts largely accept the evidence of influential experts. Children are being removed from parents, and convictions, and lengthy sentences often follow.
Now, in Australia, dissenting voices have begun to emerge. They're suggesting our approach is dangerously flawed.
Diagnosing Murder is a four-part investigative podcast series from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Hosted and produced by
Senior writer and former deputy editor and investigations editor of The Age
Head of investigative podcasts at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
Listen now
LATEST
Diagnosing murder: Is a medical theory ruining lives?
For decades, “shaken baby” theory has put parents in jail all over the world. But has it been destroying the lives of innocent people?
Outraged by her partner’s shaken baby case, Kellie joined the police and got a law degree
In the aftermath of the devastating court case, this mother wanted to help others avoid the same trauma. The judge who heard the case has backed her calls for change.
18 days in court, seven years of suffering: Experts take aim at failed shaken baby case
David’s four-week-old died in his arms, but a swift diagnosis of child abuse by hospital specialists did not stand up in court.
Australian court ruling in shaken baby case was ‘ignorant and embarrassing’
A precedent-setting legal judgment in Australia was based on scientific evidence that was “very weak”, says an international expert who gave evidence.
This man just had his baby-shaking execution halted because his conviction might be based on ‘junk science’
A controversial medical diagnosis is behind the jailing of Australians in cases of shaken baby syndrome. That scenario is changing in jurisdictions overseas.
Credits
- Host
- Michael Bachelard
- Executive Producer
- Ruby Schwartz
- Producer
- Julia Carr-Catzel
- Mixing
- Martin Peralta and Julia Carr-Catzel
- Editor
- Mathew Dunckley
- Additional reporting
- Ruby Schwartz
- Additional Editing
- Catherine Winter
- Special thanks to
- Lisa Muxworthy, Patrick Elligett and Luke McIlveen
How to listen to podcasts
On your iPhone or iPad
- Open the ‘Podcasts’ app on your iOS device. If you don’t have it on your device you will need to download it from the App Store.
- Open the search page by tapping on the magnifying glass button in the bottom right corner. This will open up the search box.
- Search the name of the podcast you want to find (e.g. Please Explain) and tap the search button on the keyboard. You will then be shown a grid of search results.
- Tap on the podcast you want from the search results and this will take you to the homepage with a list of available episodes.
- Choose an episode to play by tapping on it or subscribe to the podcast to have it appear in your library and automatically download the latest episodes.
- For more information refer to Apple support.
On your Android device
- Download and install the Google Podcasts app from the Google Play Store.
- Open the ‘Google Podcasts’ app and use the search box to search the name of the podcast you want to find (e.g. Please Explain).
- Tap on the podcast you want from the search results and this will take you to the homepage with a list of available episodes.
- Choose an episode to play by tapping on it or subscribe to the podcast to have it appear at the top of the app. A new section of the app will then notify you of new podcast episodes when you are subscribed.
- For more information refer to Google support.