Mother not guilty of shaking baby

Mrs Rooney said she was trying to revive her son

A woman has been found not guilty of shaking her baby son to death.

Anne-Marie Rooney, of Gloucestershire, had denied murdering eight-month-old Joseph at a caravan park near St Merryn in Cornwall.

During the trial at Truro Crown Court the jury was directed to consider an alternative charge of manslaughter.

Mrs Rooney said she shook Joseph gently to try and revive him when she found him lying ill on 1 July 2008. He died the next day in hospital.

Resuscitation attempts

Mrs Rooney, a member of the travelling community, had been staying with her husband and son at the holiday park when she found Joseph lying "crying and red in the face" on the floor of their caravan.

She told the court she shook him "gently" to try to revive him.

Joseph was then taken to a nearby supermarket where staff also attempted to revive him, but he died the next day in hospital.

The prosecution claimed he had suffered serious head, eye and neck injuries after being shaken.

After the verdict was delivered Mrs Rooney's husband was heard to say: "Thank God for that, thank you, thank you, the nightmare is over."