Archive - Thursday, 26 February 2004


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A surreal and frightening experience

MATTHEW Cannings, Angela and Terry's fourth child, died on Friday, November 12, 1999.

Less than a week later, and just a day after the post mortem examination had been held, the police arrived at the couple's home and arrested Angela.

"They just arrived at the house on the Tuesday, sat me down and arrested me," said Angela.

"I had no idea what they were doing - the whole thing from being arrested to being told I couldn't go home was completely surreal.

"Then I was bailed and a second lot of questioning followed.

"I went in there having no idea what to expect and came out and thought, 'God, they were really trying to get a confession out of me'.

"How can you confess to something you haven't done?"

Angela's trial at Winchester Crown Court started in February 2002 and lasted nine weeks, including a two-week break for Easter.

"At the beginning, I thought my defence team had got a good case - they seemed to have got the relevant experts - but I had no idea how it was going.

"But then when the prosecution started, plus my questioning as well, I really thought they were going to find me guilty - it frightened me."

As the two guilty verdicts were read out, Angela swayed in the dock and cries of "No" came from members of her family who were seated in the public gallery.

"I think I just actually sat or sank down," said Angela.

"I just couldn't believe that they had said 'Guilty'. The next thing I knew was that I was being taken down and stripped of everything - my watch, my clothes and my wedding ring.

"It was just awful - a living nightmare."