Anne Faul, leading Daniel Darnbrough instructed by Andrew Smith of SBS solicitors, secures acquittal (unanimous verdict) for her client who was charged with wilful neglect of her son, contrary to section 1(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. This was a three-week trial.

The Defendant was accused of failing to seek medical attention for her son, who was aged 21 months. The child suffered a catastrophic head injury, (subdural haemorrhage and bilateral retinal haemorrhages). It was the prosecution’s case that the Defendant’s then partner was responsible for the child’s injuries. However, the Defendant must have known that her son had been injured in some way due to his presenting symptoms. The prosecution’s case consisted of complex paediatric and neurological medical evidence.