Fund set up in memory of mother

From the archive, first published Thursday 12th Apr 2007.

A charity fund has been set up in memory of a mother from Hatfield Peverel who was wrongly convicted of murdering her two baby sons.

The family of Sally Clark, 42, has set up The Clark Fund to support the specialist paediatric work of Professor Tim David at the new Manchester Children's Hospital.

Prof David had given evidence in support of Mrs Clark's case, after she was accused of killing her sons Christopher, aged 11 weeks, and Harry, who was eight weeks old.

Mrs Clark, a qualified solicitor, had always insisted both babies had been victims of cot death.

But she was found guilty and spent more than three years wrongly imprisoned before her sentence was quashed at the appeal court in 2003, after new medical evidence emerged that had not been presented at her trial.

Professor Sir Roy Meadow gave evidence during her trial and said the probability of two natural unexplained cot deaths in the family was 73 million to one.

But that figure was disputed by other medical experts, who put the odds at 200 to one.

Mrs Clark, who never got over being wrongly convicted for their deaths, was found dead at her Hatfield Peverel home on March 16. She leaves a husband, Stephen, and a child.

Her funeral was held privately at her family church in Wiltshire, attended by close family and friends.

In a statement issued on behalf of the family, their spokesman Sue Stapely said: "Sally's family deeply appreciates the hundreds of messages and donations and hopes that everyone will understand that to acknowledge every one is just not possible."

Donations can be sent to The Clark Fund, registered charity number 1118607, at Lloyds TSB Bank, 38 Blue Boar Row, Salisbury, SP1 1DB.