INNOCENT - Fighting miscarriages of justice

Suzanne was convicted in 2005 at Teeside Crown Court of killing a two-year-old child, Kyle Fisher, by banging his head against a banister. A much respected person who was frequently called upon to look after children, Suzanne was convicted only because the death of Kyle was said by 'experts' to have been caused during the time when he was in her care.

Friends, including members of Kyle's own family, believe her conviction to have been a gross miscarriage of justice. At her appeal on 1 May 2008, Henry Blaxland QC (instructed by solicitor Campbell Malone) presented fresh medical evidence. Her conviction was overturned and a retrial ordered.

The retrial ended on 18 December 2008 with Suzanne found not guilty.

Suzanne's case is supported by INNOCENT and Yorkshire and Humberside Against Injustice.

See Suzanne talk about her wrongful conviction in Guardian video

2 September 2009

Suzanne calls on the Independent Police Complaints Commission to examine police failures in their investigation into Kyle's death

see letter to Chair of Cleveland Police Authority below

by Paul Watson 16 January 2009

Mistakes that convicted innocent babysitter by John Sweeney

Newsnight interview of Suzanne with her partner Lee Spencer 19 December 2008

Doubt cast on baby death verdict includes BBC Newsnight programme by John Sweeney 6 December 2007

January 13 2009

To the chairman of Cleveland Police Authority

Dear Mr McLuckie,

After the jury’s unanimous acquittal of my partner Suzanne Holdsworth on 18th December 2008 for the murder of Kyle Fisher, Cleveland’s Chief Constable Sean Price told the media: ‘I can’t criticise my officers for doing their job.’ We criticise the Chief Constable for that statement and ask for an inquiry into both murder investigations by Cleveland Police following Kyle’s tragic death in July 2004.

We accuse Cleveland Police of basic failings in routine police work:

firstly, a failure to properly investigate the eye and brain injury, caused while Kyle was in the care of his mother, Clare Fisher, a year before;
secondly, a failure to do a DNA test on the alleged murder weapon, a banister in our home;
thirdly, a failure to take statements from two surgeons who planned to operate on Kyle, a failure specifically complained about by former Acting Detective Sergeant Sharon Birch; a failure to investigate Kyle’s five brain abnormalities, none of which were identified by Cleveland Police as potential causes of death.

We note reporting on BBC Newsnight and Private Eye about a alleged and disputed phone call between brain surgeon Sid Marks and Detective Constable Paul Hook. Mr Marks says he has no recollection of the call and would not speak to a stranger about the death of a patient.

We note the allegation in Private Eye that £54,000 of cannabis resin was found in the boot of a car belonging to ‘the gormless rozzer’ Paul Hook. We do not understand how the word of such an officer could be trusted over the word of a brain surgeon. We ask you to investigate the disputed phone call, too.

Cleveland is a small place and Cleveland Police is an extremely small force which, in 2004, at the time of the first murder inquiry, was under threat of closure. We are copying this letter to the chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Chief Inspector of Constabulary. Suzanne spent three years in prison for a crime that never happened thanks to the many failures of Cleveland Police.

Lee Spencer (Suzanne's partner)

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Grandmother supports Suzanne

Kyle's grandmother Jane Whitfield said she was "happy" Suzanne had been released because she never believed the babysitter was responsible for her grandson's death.

Speaking from the home in Houghton-le-Spring she shares with Kyle's father Jon Taylor, Jane said: "I'm so happy for Suzanne Holdsworth and for her family.

"I was there every day of the trial and I don't think the evidence proved she did it. There are so many questions still to be answered.

"It came out in court that Kyle had been neglected by his mother Clare. I went to see him in the mortuary and I could not see any injuries on his head. It did not look like what they described in court.

"They said he had a dent in his head where it had been battered off the banisters but I could not see it. There was all sorts not mentioned in court which would have been in Suzanne's defence.

"I hope that now everything comes out properly. He was my grandson and I loved him. We need to know and deserve to know what happened."

Partner Lee Spencer campaigns for Suzanne

Ms Holdsworth's partner, Lee Spencer, said he had never doubted her innocence and was delighted at the verdict.

"It's something we've said all along, that it's been a grave miscarriage of justice, pre-trial, the original trial, she was innocent, and she's still the same innocent woman today, as proven in court.

"But let's not forget what this is about - we can be happy and chuffed to bits that the court has listened to new evidence - but a child is still dead," he said.