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Special prosecutor to review case of drowned toddler

Bathtub death review

The BC Prosecution Service says a special prosecutor has been appointed to independently review its conduct in a case that concluded in 2013, when a babysitter was convicted in a toddler's drowning death in Cranbrook.

Tammy Bouvette was initially charged with second-degree murder in the death of 19-month-old Iyanna Teeple, who was found unconscious and not breathing in a bathtub while under Bouvette's care.

Bouvette was later convicted of criminal negligence causing death.

The prosecution service says the assistant deputy attorney general for B.C. determined that a special prosecutor should be appointed to avoid the potential for improper influence in the administration of justice.

It says the decision follows media inquiries about disclosure issues involving the pathologist in the case.

Marilyn Stanford, a senior lawyer with a private firm in Vancouver, will serve as the special prosecutor, and the prosecution service says neither it nor Stanford will comment further until the results of the review are announced.



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