Judges' ruling took just minutes (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Judges' ruling took just minutes

SALLY Clark's release in January 2003 marked a real turning point for Angela Cannings and her defence team.

Bill Bache, Angela's solicitor, had lodged an appeal just days after she was handed her double life sentence in April 2002, but it was after Mrs Clark's conviction for smothering her two babies had been quashed that Angela's appeal was fast-tracked.

"When Sally was released, it gave me some hope," said Angela. "I started to see a way through."

A few more months passed, and Maidenhead pharmacist Trupti Patel was also acquitted of the murder of her three babies.

"When Trupti got to court, it was said about her family history and all I could think was, 'We've got a family history as well - surely they have got to take this into account?'," said Angela.

"After Sally was released, I had quite a few inmates coming up to me saying, 'You're next', and when Trupti was released, they were going mad with excitement. The thing with the girls at Eastwood and Bullwood, when they realised we still had Jade, they couldn't understand why I had been convicted in the first place."

Angela's appeal finally came to court in December last year, after two nail-biting delays.

"By that time, I had been in prison for 20 months and all I could think was that it could go the wrong way, like Sally's first appeal had."

After five days, three Court of Appeal judges said they had come to the clear conclusion that Angela's convictions for murdering her two baby boys were unsafe and would be quashed.

It took them just four minutes to reach their decision.

"When the lady judge came back in, she smiled at me," said Angela.

"I thought she was just acknowledging me, but then they said it and I thought, 'Oh, my God' - it was just total relief."

However, Angela had to wait another hour before she could be reunited with Terry and call Jade to tell her that she would be coming home.

"Before all this happened, I had a normal family life and I respected the law," said Angela.

"I respected rules and regulations, because that was how I had been brought up - but to have what's happened to us ... well, I just have no faith in the British justice system any more."

Terry added: "When the appeal court's ruling was finally given on January 16, it proved to me what I had known all along - that Angela was innocent."

And to Professor Sir Roy Meadow, on whose now discredited evidence Angela was largely convicted, she said: "I would just like to say to him, why did he put us through four years of ruining our lives without any substance behind his assumptions?

"Because of him, we never got a chance to grieve for Matthew.

"Now that grief will come."