Court quashes convictions of mother jailed for killing babies

A mother who claimed she was wrongly convicted of killing her two babies was freed by the British Court of Appeal today.

Dressed in a black trouser suit and white, open-necked shirt, 31-year-old Donna Anthony, who was jailed for life in 1998, was released from the cells at London’s Royal Courts of Justice following her successful appeal against conviction.

Mrs Anthony, who had been held at Bronzefield Jail in Ashford, west London, stood stony-faced by her solicitor, George Hawks, as he read a statement on her behalf from the steps outside.

He said that she was “still very overwhelmed” by today’s events.

“As you can imagine, this is a day of very mixed emotions.

“Donna is, of course, very very much relieved that after nearly seven years of prison she is a free woman.

“It is also a very difficult day as finally she is going to have to come to terms to grieve properly for the two children she lost.

“She was convicted of the worst crime any mother can be convicted of – the murder of her own babies – but there was no direct evidence that she had done any such thing.

“She was condemned by theory based on suspicion which was masquerading as medical opinion, and it was completely wrong.

“Jordan and Michael’s deaths were unexplained at the time.

“The case against Donna was completely flawed and she is absolutely shattered about what has happened to her over the last seven years.”

Mr Hawks said that she wanted to thank everyone who had supported her, prison staff and her lawyers.

He added: “Today has just been about winning Donna’s freedom.

“What she really deserves, and all other mothers in her situation, is justice.”

He said that no compensation could right the wrongs suffered by Donna and other mothers like her.

Donna, he added, was “absolutely determined” to campaign so that no other mother had to go through what she had done.

Mrs Anthony, whose story has been bought by a newspaper, was bundled through the media and into a waiting car.

She had earlier wiped away tears while sitting in the dock of a packed court to hear three senior judges announce that her convictions could no longer be regarded as safe.

The prosecution had offered no opposition to the appeal brought by Mrs Anthony, who was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of murdering her 11-month-old daughter Jordan in February 1996 and four-month-old son Michael in March 1997.

The case against her relied on evidence from a number of experts, including paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow, whose evidence in other cases has been discredited.

Mrs Anthony, of Yeovil, Somerset, always claimed that both children were victims of cot death and not smothering as alleged by the prosecution, but her original appeal in June 2000 was dismissed.

Her case was one of 28 referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates possible miscarriages of justice, following the quashing of the conviction of Angela Cannings in January last year.

Mrs Cannings was cleared on appeal of killing two of her sons, seven-week-old Jason and 18-week-old Matthew.

In her case, the Court of Appeal said that the fact that deaths remain unexplained could not give rise to the inference that they were caused by deliberate harm in the absence of other evidence.

Today, Lord Justice Judge, sitting with Mrs Justice Hallett and Mr Justice Leveson, overturned Mrs Anthony’s convictions and said they would not order a new trial.