Q&A: Review of cot death cases

Some cases will be fast-tracked to the Appeal Court

A review of cot deaths, involving both criminal and civil proceedings, is to be held.

BBC correspondent John Sweeney - who revealed fresh evidence in the case of Angela Cannings, cleared of killing two of her children - explains what this could mean.

How many civil cases will be investigated?

There has been a leak from Whitehall that there could be 5,000 cases. I think it could be far less.

The criminal cases which relied exclusively on expert witnesses will be fast-tracked to the Appeal Court. Do you know how many involve expert witnesses?

I don't know. There is, however, an over-reliance on experts. There has been this mad, crazy belief that experts are like God, knowing everything.

In the Cannings case her husband stood loyally by her throughout the trial, and her friends and family all stood by her.

I honestly think that when ordinary people tell you things, you should not treat them as numbskulls. The experts have been believed over family and that has got to change.

Will this change how the Family Court operates?

The Family Court system needs to radically change. Currently there is a test of probability as to whether the mother harmed the child.

But this is a massive and terrible thing, so it should be beyond reasonable doubt. I hope this is the beginning of reform of the Family Court.

Apart from an over-reliance on experts, is there any other aspect that needs to change?

Yes. If the review shows that the parent was not harming the child, then they need to be vindicated in public. Currently, if someone has their baby taken away from them, it is all done in secret.

How will parents whose children have been removed from them be coping with news of the review?

All the people have been scarred. They are living in terrible agony.

Four mothers who had their children taken away approached me. They are desperate. They are victims of a kind of injustice. It makes one very uneasy.

There is a clear distinction here between these cases and the case of Victoria Climbie, who died after prolonged neglect and cruelty by her carers.

In her case there was massive evidence of bruises and broken bones. In these cases, they relied on expert witnesses, many of whom had never met the mothers before.

Will this change research into cot death and child abuse?

I think there needs to be much more research into cot death so that we can stop it. But there needs to be far fewer police investigations, instead we should trust the word of people's loved ones and those closest to them.