The mothers who fought for compensation

When Susan McIntyre heard that Mandy Thorpe had given birth to a baby with a deformed hand, she paid her friend a visit. She recalled: "I sat sympathising with her, saying it won't be that bad — you'll get on all right'."

That was March 1996. Though pregnant herself, it didn't cross Ms McIntyre's mind that such a thing could happen again. Statistically, a community of 60,000 like Corby might reasonably expect one such birth every three to four years. But a few months later, Ms McIntyre's son Connor was born with an identical defect.

Then, taking her son to St James Infirmary in Leeds for reconstructive surgery she met Joy Shatford, whose son Daniel had also been born with a deformed hand and came from Corby.

The families grouped together with 16 others to fight for justice, leading to today's judgment.