What Munchausen's means
13 April 2012
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy was first identified in 1977 by Professor Sir Roy Meadow.
He described the condition as child abuse in which sufferers, often a mother, deliberately induce or falsely report illnesses in their child to draw attention to themselves. He gave evidence in scores of trials leading to children being taken into care. Doubts surfaced when Professor Meadow claimed at the Sally Clark trial that the chance of losing two infants to cot death were 73 million to one.
In January the Attorney General announced a review of up to 258 convictions of parents for killing their children. Evidence from Meadow was used in the convictions of Angela Cannings, as well as Mrs Clark. Both were cleared.
