Pizzas galore!

Lord Goldsmith said that of the 297 convictions in the past decade, 88 were selected for closer study. Of these, he suggested that three raised concerns. He told the Lords: "In the considerable majority of the remaining SBS cases, other extraneous evidence existed to support the findings of shaken baby syndrome.

"A few examples are evidence the infant had been struck against a wall causing catastrophic injuries, admissions to shaking and punching the infant, earlier fractures, and head injuries occurring on two separate occasions."

Lord Goldsmith said that his office had contacted solicitors acting for the three people convicted, "suggesting that it might be appropriate for the safety of their client’s conviction to be referred to the Court of Appeal or the Criminal Cases Review Commission."

He added: "The letters stress that the determination of the review does not mean that the convictions are unsafe. That will be a matter for the Court of Appeal to decide in due course, if the defendants decide to take the matter further."

Lord Goldsmith went on to outline proposals to allay fears that jurors place undue confidence in the testimony of expert witnesses in complex issues during court trials.

He said that he shared the concerns and announced that expert witnesses would now have to reveal all of their evidence, and its source, to investigating police. They must also inform prosecuting lawyers of anything "that might adversely affect their credibility or competence as an expert witness."

He said: "They are reminded that they must not give expert opinion beyond their area of expertise. This guidance will set standards across the criminal justice system for the use of expert witnesses.

"The new guidance is one of a number of initiatives underway across government which will improve the management of expert evidence in the criminal courts."

Lord Goldsmith said that a proposal to bring expert witnesses acting for the prosecution and defence together before they appear in court - to identify where they agree and differ - could help to reduce the amount of conflicting information presented to juries.

"We will be considering this proposal further in consultation with others," he said,

"I believe the clear and thorough guidelines I have announced today will assist in bringing about greater confidence in the criminal justice system in handling such difficult cases where expert witnesses are called on."

Earl Howe, for the Conservative, said: "We are dealing here with the gravest possible matters. Those individuals who abuse or kill children in their care must be brought to justice and dealt with appropriately. [However,] the parent should not be simply considered guilty until proven innocent."

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