Woodward lied on TV, says baby's uncle

The Eappens with baby Matthew

Louise Woodward may protest her innocence but she remains convicted of killing Matthew Eappen, the baby's uncle has said.

On Monday night Woodward told BBC1's Panorama she had been made a scapegoat for the death.

"The mentality is that somebody has to pay. You know, and that seemed to be the problem, that, well, if the parents didn't do it, who did? There's only you left," she said.

But Paul Spellman, the baby's uncle, said the 20-year-old former au pair had already had a chance to tell her story in court.

"What she says after that is inconsequential. It is not to be believed," he said.

Paul Spellman says, on paper, Louise was qualified to look after Matthew

Mr Spellman, said he felt uncomfortable with the whole idea of the interview being broadcast.

He told Radio 5 Live: "Our entire goal is now to move on and past this. But every time this is going to happen it brings extra added pain and difficulty to us.

"I would challenge her not to take up any future offers (to sell her story) and I challenge the British media and Press not to make those offers."

He asked: "Should we glamorise Louise as a convicted killer and give her an interview like this?

"Should she be trusted with any of the words she says?

"Do convicted killers tell the truth? If not on the stand, then certainly we cannot expect them to during an interview."

Agonising wait

Woodward was freed to return to Britain last week after the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts ruled that trial judge Hiller Zobel was right to quash the jury's second-degree murder verdict and replace it with a verdict of manslaughter.

The judges upheld the "time-served" sentence of 279 days imposed on Woodward, ending an agonising wait of 99 days since her appeal hearing.

As the appeal result was announced, Matthew's parents Sunil and Deborah immediately launched a civil case against her.

They claimed damages for the death of their son and sought an injunction to prevent Woodward profiting by selling her story.

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