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06/12/2007
Mum Cleared Of Infanticide Is Freed
Medical reports have led to an innocent Fermanagh women being freed from jail – cleared of a charge of infanticide.
Yesterday's development was so unexpected that 34-year-old Wendy Johnston, from Spruce Hill in Irvinestown, Fermanagh, only later learned of the decision in prison - as she was not present in Dungannon Crown Court for her case which was listed only for mention.
Brian Curran of the Public Prosecution Service told Mr Justice Hart that the Crown was offering no further evidence against Ms Johnston after an eleventh hour review of the medical evidence in the case yesterday afternoon.
The prosecution had previously accused her of strangling her baby boy in February last year, after giving birth to him on her living room sofa.
Today, Ms Johnston has been released from gaol, after being officially acquitted, when a jury at Laganside Court in Belfast was instructed to find her not guilty.
Mr Justice Stephens, sitting today in Belfast - and not Dungannon to ensure a jury panel was available - heard the case had involved an exchange of a number of medical reports between the prosecution and defence.
The latest was received on Tuesday afternoon, after which there was a review of the evidence in consultation with the prosecution's own medical expert.
As a result it was decided the proper course of action was to stop the case against Ms Johnston.
Ms Johnston was jailed after police were summoned to her home by her sister, on February 22, last year. Ms Johnston had phoned her sister earlier and when she arrived, told her she had given birth two days earlier. She led her into the kitchen, and showed her the infant's body wrapped in a bundle of towels.
Ms Johnston's arrest on a murder charge followed six days later.
She told detectives none of her family knew she was pregnant and that on 20 February, while she was watching television, her waters broke, and shortly after, the baby boy was born on the sofa.
She said the child died a short time later.
(BMcC)
Yesterday's development was so unexpected that 34-year-old Wendy Johnston, from Spruce Hill in Irvinestown, Fermanagh, only later learned of the decision in prison - as she was not present in Dungannon Crown Court for her case which was listed only for mention.
Brian Curran of the Public Prosecution Service told Mr Justice Hart that the Crown was offering no further evidence against Ms Johnston after an eleventh hour review of the medical evidence in the case yesterday afternoon.
The prosecution had previously accused her of strangling her baby boy in February last year, after giving birth to him on her living room sofa.
Today, Ms Johnston has been released from gaol, after being officially acquitted, when a jury at Laganside Court in Belfast was instructed to find her not guilty.
Mr Justice Stephens, sitting today in Belfast - and not Dungannon to ensure a jury panel was available - heard the case had involved an exchange of a number of medical reports between the prosecution and defence.
The latest was received on Tuesday afternoon, after which there was a review of the evidence in consultation with the prosecution's own medical expert.
As a result it was decided the proper course of action was to stop the case against Ms Johnston.
Ms Johnston was jailed after police were summoned to her home by her sister, on February 22, last year. Ms Johnston had phoned her sister earlier and when she arrived, told her she had given birth two days earlier. She led her into the kitchen, and showed her the infant's body wrapped in a bundle of towels.
Ms Johnston's arrest on a murder charge followed six days later.
She told detectives none of her family knew she was pregnant and that on 20 February, while she was watching television, her waters broke, and shortly after, the baby boy was born on the sofa.
She said the child died a short time later.
(BMcC)
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