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We seek to defend carers (usually parents) against allegations of the murder, manslaughter or causing serious injury to those in their care.

Innocent parents accused of child abuse will face frightening problems. There is a culture amongst many members of the medical profession and in many local authorities and police that leads far too readily to a belief that the symptoms they have seen in a child have been caused by the parents or other carers.

We have dealt with many such cases (please see details of our successes in the family courts under the 'Our Clients' section). Some of these have been in the criminal courts where the evidence is given publicly.

Our policy has always been that if the parents are to be believed any medical or other opinions to the effect that they have deliberately hurt their child must necessarily be wrong. It follows from that that there must be an innocent explanation. But if this is to cut any ice in court a great deal of hard work has to be done with the assistance of medical experts (and probably many of them) to demonstrate the truth or at the very least to demonstrate that an alternative innocent explanation at least as likely as the serious one being advanced by the authorities.

The success of our techniques has been demonstrated in the acquittals and/or the quashing on appeal of the convictions of Angela Cannings (alleged smothering), a father accused of baby shaking, Ian and Angela Gay (alleged salt poisoning), Marianne Williams (alleged salt poisoning), C.K a step-father (alleged baby shaking) and another young father acquitted of murder by baby shaking but convicted of manslaughter (appeal pending).

In the private hearings of the family courts success has been more difficult to achieve. This is partly because it is much more difficult for parents to instruct experts of their choice. It can be done but there are many obstacles in the way. Nethertheless we are delighted to be able to report that in many cases we have conducted, the court listened to the parents and believed them.

We believe that our experience demonstrates that what might appear to be heavyweight expert opinion advanced by the Crown or the local authority can, when properly analysed, be shown to be wrong. But success depends upon some insight into the medical issues, knowledge of which experts are most likely to help, determination and a willingness to stand your ground often in the face of quite hostile opposition and sheer hard work.