Angela Cannings today walked free from court after serving more than 18 months of a life sentence as appeal court judges cleared her of murdering her two infant sons. The court of appeal, in London, overturned a jury’s verdict – reached in April last year – that 40-year-old Mrs Cannings had smothered seven-week-old Jason in 1991 and 18-week-old Matthew in 1999. Mrs Cannings, a shop assistant from Salisbury, Wiltshire, has always insisted that the babies were victims of sudden infant death syndrome, or cot death.The syndrome was recorded as the cause after her first child, Gemma, died at the age of 13 weeks in 1989. There were loud cheers and shouts of “yes!” from Mrs Canning’s family and supporters in court as Lord Justice Judge, sitting with Mrs Justice Rafferty and Mr Justice Pitchers, announced the decision.

The Guardian