Girls win appeal over Aimee death

Aimee Wellock had an undiagnosed heart condition

Three teenage girls found guilty of the manslaughter of another girl have had their convictions quashed by London's Court of Appeal.

Aimee Wellock, 15, suffered from an undiagnosed heart condition and died near her home in Bradford after she was attacked by the group on 7 June 2005.

Claire Carey, 18, and two girls aged 15 and 17, who cannot be named, had each been sentenced to two years.

The three judges dismissed appeals against their convictions for affray.

Carey will serve two years in custody, while the 17-year-old had the length of her detention and training order reduced from 18 months to 12 months.

We leave court feeling angry and completely let down Alan and Jackie Wellock, Aimee's parents

The 15-year-old, who is pregnant and was released on bail earlier this month, was given a three-year-supervision order due to the "exceptional circumstances" of her situation.

Carey and her co-defendants were originally convicted of Aimee's manslaughter after a nine-day trial at Leeds Crown Court in September 2005.

Allowing their appeals, Lord Justice Dyson said it was a most tragic case, but the trial judge should have withdrawn the manslaughter charges from the jury at the end of the prosecution case.

Parents 'crushed'

He described the attack as thoroughly unpleasant, but said none of the defendants had intended to cause serious harm and the physical injuries Aimee suffered had not caused her death.

"No doubt, but for the affray, Aimee would not have died when she did," he said.

Aimee Wellock had an undiagnosed heart condition

"But this is not sufficient to make them guilty of manslaughter.

"To hold these appellants liable for the death of Aimee in circumstances such as occurred in this case would involve an unwarranted extension of the law."

Aimee's parents, Alan and Jackie Wellock, said they were crushed by the ruling.

"We leave court today feeling angry and completely let down by those whose job it is to protect us," they said.

"As any sensible person would appreciate, Aimee's death was a consequence of the actions of those people who attacked her.

"To believe that her death was a tragic coincidence is, in the words of the Home Office pathologist Professor Milroy, who carried out the post-mortem [examination] on Aimee's body, `this would have been absolutely fantastical'."