§ The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith)I announced in January a review of cases of parents and carers convicted of killing an infant under the age of two in the past 10 years.
This followed the Court of Appeal's decision to quash the conviction of Angela Cannings. The court's judgment questioned the safety of convictions depending exclusively, or almost exclusively, on a serious disagreement between distinguished and reputable experts.
In May, I announced that my office had notified the legal representatives of five defendants that it may be appropriate for the safety of their clients' convictions to be considered further by the Court of Appeal or, if appropriate, the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Since that time, as part of the process of ongoing review, my office has written in similar terms to the legal representatives of 19 further defendants.
The fact that a case has been referred to legal representatives of the convicted person does not amount to a positive determination that their conviction is unsafe. Should any appeals result from this review, it will be for the Crown Prosecution Service to independently decide whether to contest the appeal.
I aim to complete the review in September, when I will report fully to the House. The review is continuing to be accorded the highest priority, to bring to an end this period of uncertainty for all those involved.