Cases of children taken into care to be reviewed

Mothers who have had their children removed as a result of civil
actions because they are considered at risk will have their cases
reviewed, solicitor general Harriet Harman told MPs,
writes Sally Gillen.

Announcing the extension of the review of cases involving women
convicted of killing their babies, which was ordered by attorney
general Lord Goldsmith, Harman said it would ensure “justice
was ultimately done”.

She said: “We will make sure that we recognise that not
only injustices done in the criminal justice system, but any
potential injustices in care proceedings are identified and acted
upon.”

Goldsmith said 258 cases dating back a decade would be reviewed
by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, a move he said would have
“serious and far-reaching implications”

The review was prompted by the Angela Cannings and Sally Clark
cases. Both women were convicted of killing their children, but had
their sentences quashed last year amid concerns about the
reliability of expert evidence by paediatrician Roy Meadow.