This story is tragic for a variety of reasons.

Christian Blewitt was said to have been force-fed with salt as a punishment, which you have to admit is not something you hear very often. Yeah, my parents fed me salt and I never did it again... I don't think so.

Anyway, we all read about the case and hated the wealthy childless couple who killed this little tearaway, but it turns out medical opinion was divided. Christian had a history of liver disfunction and it is possible his body didn't process salt that built up in his system.

He also may have had physical problems with his brain (that had nothing to do with his adopted parents hitting him or anything). So expect to hear more about this one when their appeal comes up.

One thing about this piece, though. What is his grandad saying? Kinda paints a picture...

15 Mar 2005 Like I said above - expect to hear more about this case when their appeal comes up. It's a way off yet, but already the cracks are appearing in the prosecution's case.

It's the first I've heard in any newspaper that the parents claimed the were the victims of a miscarriage of justice. The excellent Private Eye is the only source of that information I had come across, but since their article appeared 23 Mar 2005 , there have been quite a few in the red tops and other papers. Public support has definitely swung in their favour.

The couple's lawyer, John Batt, said the case fit the profile of other miscarriages of justice in child abuse and cot death because the burden of proof was reversed.

'The law said to the parents, 'If you can't prove how this child died you are going to prison.' But doctors could not explain Christian's death so how could the Gays? In these cases a doctor comes along with a theory and then the prosecution challenges the parents to disprove it. But for a jury a theory is a fact not the product of someone's guesswork. It is nonsense.'

Innocent until proven guilty, huh?