Videotapes Could Reverse Sex Abuse Convictions

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The discovery of thousands of videotaped medical examinations recorded during child sex-abuse investigations in Santa Clara County could effect the outcome of a number of criminal convictions dating back to 1991.The Santa Clara County district attorney's office says the tapes were found by medical experts hired by two convicted defendants. Those experts determined that the tapes contradicted medical findings that sex abuse had ever occurred.One of the two convictions, that of Agustin Uribe, has already been overturned by a state appeals court because of the tape. The second conviction is now in question.Prosecutors will review some 3,000 tapes recorded in cases dating back to 1991 and determine which cases ended in convictions. Defense attorneys will be notified by prosecutors in any cases where new evidence appears.

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