Best magazine - 23 April 2002. Issue 16/02

Why I know my best friend didn't murder her children

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Sally sees her remaining son just once a week when he visits the prison he knows as `Mummy's home'. I still find it hard to believe all this has happened to my friend Sally - the girl who's barely ever raised her voice.

My godson often asks me when his mummy is going to visit him at `his' house. Sally's a devoted mum and two-thirds of every letter she writes to me is filled with talk about him.

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Sally writes:

... We asked Fiona to be a godparent to Christopher and to Harry. But both of my boys died before we had the chance to have them christened. With Christopher, all the invitations had been sent out and I had even been to the bakery to give them instructions for the cake on the day he died.

When Harry was born, I again asked Fiona to be godmother. Out of everyone I know, she and her husband were most like Steve and me.

. . .

Fiona sees my son every few weeks and I admit I'm envious of the time she spends with him. Despite everything that's happened, though, I still have faith in myself as a mother.

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I remember my first Christmas in prison - a month after I was convicted. My little boy was too young to realise what was going on but Fiona helped make sure he had the best Christmas possible.