A new true crime documentary series explores the case of Angela Cannings, who was wrongly convicted of murdering her infant son and spent around 20 months in prison before her conviction was overturned.
Titled Convictions Gone Bad with Will Mellor, the first episode aired on Monday, October 5, at 9pm on Crime+Investigation, with new episodes screening weekly for a total of five instalments. The series sees former Hollyoaks and Broadchurch star Will Mellor work alongside experts to examine some of the worst miscarriages of justice in legal history.
Angela Cannings' Tragic Losses
Angela and her then husband Terry experienced a series of heartbreaking tragedies. Their first child died suddenly in 1989 at 13 weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome. Two years later, they lost a son at the age of seven weeks. In 1999, their third son Matthew unexpectedly died at just 18 weeks old.
After Matthew's death, investigators became suspicious about the multiple unexplained deaths in the family, and Angela soon faced a murder charge for two of her children. In 2002, she was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, despite no physical evidence proving murder.
Controversial Expert Testimony
With no witnesses and no forensic evidence, the case relied heavily on expert medical testimony, particularly that of pediatrician Roy Meadow. His controversial testimony, which argued that multiple unexplained deaths were exceptionally rare and suspicious, was used in multiple trials. The documentary hears how Roy Meadow had never met with the family or assessed the children.
Angela served around 20 months in prison before the expert testimony was brought into question. New research on unexplained infant deaths relating to family history also highlighted the fact that medical science still did not understand why such a tragic event occurs.
Release and Aftermath
In December 2003, Angela was freed after her convictions were overturned, but her life was never the same. Her story is also a familiar one for other families during that time, with hundreds of cases being re-examined.
Now, Angela lives a relatively private life in Wiltshire following her estrangement from her family. Following her immediate release, Angela spoke out about her ordeal, telling the BBC at the time their lives were "devastated", adding: "I can't forgive the system."
