Supreme Court orders acquittal in Cranbrook toddler drowning death

The Supreme Court of Canada has ordered that an acquittal should be entered for a Cranbrook woman seeking to clear her conviction in the case of toddler who drowned in her care in 2011.

Tammy Bouvette pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death, after initially facing a second-degree murder charge, and was later sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment and probation.

However, a decade later, a special prosecutor recommended a court review to determine if there had been a miscarriage of justice after finding the Crown did not disclose evidence to Bouvette prior to her guilty plea. That evidence included an external peer review of the child's autopsy report, which determined the forensic pathologist's conclusions were unreasonable.

In 2021, Bouvette sought orders to vacate her guilty