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Steve Clark, London, October 2001 in England Photography: Adrian Hobbs The Sally Clark case The Sally Clark case The loneliest solicitor Steve Clark, London, October 2001 in England Photography: Adrian Hobbs 2 LEGAL BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2001 The Sally Clark case The Sally Clark case Following a 17-day trial he’d do it all again. And he doesn’t urgency prevails. He sticks Two of his three children are dead. His wife is in jail before Mr Justice Harrison, on accept that he’s lost his wife. He and to the facts – there’s no Sally 9 November 1999 Sally was their son make the half-hour drive to emotional browbeating. He for their murder. And he’s sure that she is innocent. convicted of the murder of her Bullwood Hall most weekends. It’s a confesses no expertise in two children, with leave to time-consuming process which Steve criminal law beyond what he hose who came into contact with Sally Clark agree that she was a Matthew Rushton meets Steve Clark, a City finance appeal on the receipt of fresh describes as ‘degrading and distressing’ can remember from univer- Tkind, caring, loving mother. This view is borne out by a legion of evidence. for all of them. Visits last two hours. sity. But he believes that you health visitors, midwives, doctors, home-helps, families, friends, lawyer who must also now campaign for justice The Clarks brought an And then it’s back to work. don’t need great specialist neighbours and colleagues. Witnesses including paramedics, doctors, appeal on five grounds in Although Steve was offered partner- knowledge to share the view nurses and police officers said that that neither baby had marks on its October 2000. They challenged ship at a couple of City firms after his 14- of many observers: that body when it entered the hospital – that both were well nourished and medical and statistical evi- month break from practice, he preferred principles of natural justice cared for. teve Clark won’t let us take his dence, and the trial judge’s direction of to start again as an associate. ‘In some were conspicuously absent Sally is the daughter of a retired police divisional commander. She picture. He’s nervous about the jury. Lord Justice Henry, Mrs Justice ways I’m lucky,’ he reflects. ‘I have a job from Sally’s trial. has no previous convictions. She is a qualified lawyer – indefinitely attracting publicity after land- Bracewell and Mr Justice Richards still that lets me stop, start and move around. ‘You start any trial like this suspended from practice, but not struck-off. Staggering as it may ing a plum job in corporate found that there was ‘an overwhelming Not having the pressures of partnership two-nil down,’ he explains. sound, she is confident that the system she believes wrongly Sfinance at a major City law firm. No case’ against Sally. Her appeal was has given me the chance to get back up to ‘There’s a mother in the dock convicted her will also set her free. photo, no firm name. Now he’ll talk. dismissed. speed.’ He expects to be in the running, and the public assume she’s Clark is husband to a woman much vil- Sally remains in prison at Bullwood though, when the next round of partner- there for a reason.’ Two ified by the media during her murder Hall, Essex. ship promotions comes around. unexplained infant deaths are, under- It’s a far cry from the City, this arena. trial in 1999. Sally was made out to be a Outside the security of a major law standably, treated as suspicious. It’s the dirty, low-rent end of the law. career-mad, heavy-drinking depressive. Husband, father, lawyer, lonely firm, inevitably things are tough. He Twelve expert witnesses gave evi- ‘The jury were 12 people just dragged And she was convicted. Three years on and circumstances have still looks after the couple’s three-year- dence at the trial. The key was Dr off the street,’ he says. Three years previously, things forced Steve Clark back into the City, old son. Born in November 1998, that Alan Williams, the local Home Office He doesn’t blame the jury, thinking were quite different. Two successful aged 39. He’s currently living in son spent the first year of his life in care, pathologist who carried out post- more that they were misdirected and Addleshaw Booth & Co lawyers were Chelmsford, Essex, and while he misses and a court order forbids publication of mortems on both the babies. It was he misinformed. ‘The moment my wife was having fun: fast car, large house, money his house in Cheshire, workwise things his name. ‘It’s one consolation that he’s and he only who ventured a certain sentenced, I lost all faith in the criminal in the bank and their first baby on the are going well. For a finance lawyer ‘it’s too young to know what’s really going cause of death for them: murder. justice system – the system I was taught way. They’d worked for it. Both were like coming home’ he enthuses. ‘In on at the moment,’ says Steve. ‘But he’ll Steve Clark believes that the prose- to respect, the system that’s held up as successful lawyers, and Steve had made In happier times – Sally Clark in her Cheshire garden terms of quality of work, there’s no want to know soon.’ The clock is tick- cution’s case hung on the accuracy of an example to the world,’ he says. partner at the firm. They’d moved from comparison. It’s like suddenly finding ing. Meanwhile, his mother faces 14 Dr Williams’s findings and that the London to an affluent corner of Christopher and Harry, found retinal yourself in the Premiership after bang- more years in jail. doctor certified the death of both babies Threats to society Cheshire for a better quality of life, haemorrhages on Harry and attributed ing along on the bottom of the Nation- In looking after his son, Steve is for- incorrectly. At trial, other pathologists – The jury found Sally guilty by a 10-2 somewhere pleasant to raise a family… his death to shaken-baby syndrome. wide League.’ Sorry, Addleshaws. tunate to have the services of the home paediatric specialists, including those majority. The resulting double life The Clarks’ first child was born on 22 The Clarks were first arrested on 23 He’s keen to add, though, that help/nanny who worked for them in called by the prosecution – said it was sentence followed as a matter of course. September 1996, a healthy, bright-eyed February 1998, on suspicion of murder- Addleshaws had been very supportive, Cheshire. She was present at their house not possible to be fully certain of a cause By pleading ‘not guilty’ throughout, baby boy. They named him Christopher. ing Harry. They were then re-arrested but the trial inevitably meant he had nine ‘til five throughout all the trauma. of death for either child. Sally Clark had given up any chance The usual circus of health visits, check- on suspicion of murdering Christopher. to give up his job. Events over the And yet when Steve had to move to Dr Williams is not a paediatric of remission should the verdict go ups and vaccinations proceeded as The Crown Prosecution Service charged following 14 months put him on a London, she was happy at the age of 32 specialist, he is a Home Office patholo- against her. normal when suddenly, one evening 11 Sally Clark – five months pregnant at different track. to uproot herself and move too. ‘There’s gist. Both the Clarks and Dr Cowan, Her position, though, is anomalous. weeks later, Christopher died. The the time – with the murder of both her ‘I lost everything,’ he says. ‘My car, no greater vote of confidence than that,’ the duty paediatrician at the hospital on Two factors influence sentencing policy: Clarks thought their world had ended. babies in July 1998. my house and my savings.’ That said, acknowledges Steve with gratitude. the night of Harry’s death, requested deterrence and retribution. Had she A post-mortem followed, con- Recent weeks have been busy and that a paediatric specialist conduct pleaded guilty to infanticide, Sally ducted by Dr Alan Williams demanded long hours. Steve copes as the post-mortem. Their requests were would probably be on probation now, (about whom more later), and best he can, ‘but my son still needs his not granted. not in prison. But she rejected the idea the death certificate showed Not a vital statistic? mother,’ he states, flatly. This detached, The General Medical Council is cur- that that she should plead guilty to that Christopher had died of a deliberately unemotional statement is rently investigating complaints about something she did not do. respiratory tract virus – a typical. He’s matter-of-fact. There are Dr Williams, following challenges to his Innocent mothers accused of this tragic, natural death to which nterpretation of post-mortem evidence is hotly Recent research at Manchester University found a no appeals for sympathy. behaviour and competence by people appalling crime face an impossible some infants are vulnerable. Idisputed and occasionally manipulated to suit genetic cause associated with cot death. The chances Steve embodies Northern grit. A including Martin Bell OBE, formerly dilemma if found guilty: be vilified The Clarks’ devastation contrived academic theories. It makes the matter of suffering a second cot death following one such gentle, tamed Yorkshire accent belies a the Clarks’ constituency MP. However, as child killers and remain free, or was total.
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