TORONTO - The start of an inquest into the jailhouse death of Ashley Smith is being delayed by an impending judicial review.
Ontario Chief Coroner Dr. Andrew McCallum says the inquest that was to start next Monday has been rescheduled to May 16.
Smith's family requested the judicial review after presiding coroner Dr. Bonita Porter ruled against hearing some evidence at the inquest.
The family claims excluding evidence covering the 19-year-old's treatment in a Quebec prison will not give the jury a true picture of Smith's state of mind.
Family lawyer Julian Falconer says the videos from Joliette Institution show the mentally ill teen being injected with anti-psychotic drugs while being restrained to a gurney for hours on end.
Smith died at the Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, Ont., in October 2007. Smith was initially given a 90-day sentence for throwing crabapples at a postal worker, but in-custody incidents kept her behind bars in numerous prisons before her death.
