'Baby killer' gets appeal date

Sally Clark has always protested her innocence

A solicitor who is serving a life sentence for murdering her two babies has been given a date for an appeal hearing against her convictions.

Sally Clark, from Cheshire, has served more than two years in jail for the killings and one appeal against the court verdict has already failed.

The appeal, which will be heard on 28 January, comes after new evidence emerged.

Clark, who comes from Wilmslow, was originally convicted in November 1999.

'Cot death'

During her original trial, prosecutors told Chester Crown Court Clark deliberately smothered her babies.

However, she always claimed eight-week-old Harry and Christopher, aged 11 weeks, had died as a result of cot death.

Despite Clark's first appeal failing, the Criminal Cases Review Commission referred her case back to the appeal court in July last year after a team of more than 20 doctors and lawyers studied the case.

The team now believes the new evidence will prove Harry died of a bacterial infection and Christopher contracted a fatal lung disease.

A paediatrician told the original trial jury there was a one in 73 million chance of both babies dying of natural causes.

It is alleged the new evidence however, casts doubt on the statistic.