The Criminal Cases Review Commission has referred the convictions of Donna Anthony for the murder of her two children to the Court of Appeal.
Mrs Anthony was convicted on 17 November 1998 at Bristol Crown Court of the murder of her two children Jordan and Michael in February 1996 and March 1997 respectively. She was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mrs Anthony appealed against the convictions in June 2000. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. Mrs Anthony applied to the Commission on 24 September 2003.
The case was given priority in January 2004 and immediately allocated for review, following the Court of Appeal’s judgment in the case of Angela Cannings.
The Commission has considered a range of issues, including new expert medical evidence, and has now decided to refer the conviction to the Court of Appeal.
Commission Chairman Professor Graham Zellick said: “This was a complex case and the review necessarily took some time. We have a statutory duty to perform - to assess whether there is a ‘real possibility’ that the conviction will be quashed - and that exercise must be carried out painstakingly. It is now for the Court of Appeal to decide whether the convictions are ‘unsafe’ and if so to quash them.
“While we review cases as quickly as possible, it is an inherently time-consuming process. As the last backstop of the criminal justice system, our priority must always be thoroughness.”
The Commission is the independent public body set up by Parliament in 1997 to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and decide if they should be referred to the appeal courts.
Mrs Anthony’s legal representative is Mr George Hawks, of Gingers Acre, Foddington, Babcary, Somerset TA11 7EC Tel 01963 240409.
This press release was issued by Boris Worrall, Head of Communication at the Criminal Cases Review Commission on Tel 0121 633 1806.
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