The death of Sally Clark, 42, on 16 March 2007 was yet another sad chapter in the story of medical hubris, misguided zeal and medical lynching that constitutes the saga of Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) and the rise and fall of Roy Meadow. Mrs Clark was jailed in 1999 for killing her 11-week-old son, Christopher, in December 1996 and 8-week-old Harry in January 1998. The first appeal against the convictions failed in 2000, but she was freed in 2003 after a fresh appeal. A crucial factor in her conviction was evidence from Meadow that there was a "one in 73 million" chance of two children dying from cot deaths in an affluent family. It was this statement, more than anything else, that sealed Meadow's fate and precipitated a catastrophic downfall...
58 min read (11417 words)
