[justice for families] Ian and Angela Gay Acquittal welcomed - solicitor to speak in Birmingham - procedural change needed

4.02.00pm GMT Fri 2nd Mar 2007

John Hemming MP, Chairman of Justice for Families, has welcomed the acquittal of Ian and Angela Gay. "We need to remember," he said, "that a young boy died. It is wrong, however, when a child dies and the doctors are not sure of the cause to blame the parents. Marianne Williams' case late last year luckily was caught at the first stage."

"We need to be aware that unreliable medical evidence is convicting far more people in the Family Courts than in the Criminal Courts. The Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health's recent report includes the statement that medical evidence that is not adequate for the Criminal Courts is fine for the Family Courts."

"What happens to parents is that they are alleged to be guilty by a doctor and then have to prove their innocence. That involves getting more medical knowledge than the doctor. It can be done, but is very difficult. One local authority (Enfield) is still trying to gag me from talking about this."

Bill Bache the solicitor for Marianne Williams and Ian and Angela Gay will be speaking at Saturday's "Justice for Families" conference in BIrmingham where campaigners against family injustices will be coming together to look at how to stop the scores of miscarriages of justice that continually happen.

John Hemming MP has written to the Attorney General expressing concern that unreliable medical evidence is still allowed to convict families in both the family and criminal courts.