MOTHER BLAMED FOR MEDICAL BUNGLING

A young mother was today cleared of the murder of her seriously ill son after being accused of poisoning him with an overdose of table salt. Marianne Williams, 24, wiped away tears as she heard that she had been found not guilty of the murder and manslaughter of 15-month-old Joshua Taylor. Standing outside Winchester Crown Court, she said: "I'm just overwhelmed. It has been a long time coming. "I keep having floods of relief going through me. I can't concentrate or even think about what has happened."

Ms Williams denied poisoning Joshua with a fatal dose of sodium three days before his death on February 27, 2004. Her son was born prematurely in November 2002 and suffered from a range of serious medical problems, including kidney failure.
During the trial the prosecution alleged that Ms Williams, then 21 and on antidepressants at the time, had killed her son because she felt that she could not cope with caring for him. The jury was told that Ms Williams had known of the consequences of her son having too much sodium in his system after he had been taken to hospital suffering from high salt levels in February that year.

The defence said that Joshua had died as a result of a combination of his medical condition and the drugs that he was taking for his care.

Ms Williams, from Wiltshire, was in a long-term relationship with Joshua's father, Paul Taylor, when the child died. She had become pregnant with twins in 2002, but the pregnancy was difficult and one of the twins died in the womb. Joshua was born 12 weeks prematurely by Caesarean section and weighed only 2lb 10oz. He spent much of his life in hospital suffering from a number of medical problems, including very small kidneys. He had to be fed through a tube and was given daily doses of sodium chloride to counterbalance his failing kidneys, which expelled too much sodium. After his death, tests revealed that his body contained 20 times the amount of sodium prescribed to help his kidney problems.

During the trial it was revealed that doctors, led by Dr Rodney Gilbert, gave Joshua drugs to treat him for dehydration, which contained salt. Dr Gilbert admitted failing to do glucose and urine tests and using an equation for adults to calculate what drugs use to reduce the boy's sodium levels. He said that he now understood the equation was not designed for children.

Ms Williams's legal representative Jacqui Cameron said in a statement on her behalf: "Today's verdict means Marianne can go home to her family and begin to rebuild her life.

Detective Inspector Matt Johnson, of Wiltshire Police, said outside court: "The investigation carried out by Wiltshire Police into the sudden death of Joshua Taylor was complex and required sensitivity, thoroughness and, of necessity, detailed liaison with not only medical experts but a number of other agencies including social services. "The decision to bring charges was only taken after lengthy consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service and a meticulous review of all the evidence that was available. "I acknowledge the verdict reached by the jury and would add only that I am satisfied that every possible piece of evidence that could be found was properly presented to the jury in this case."

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