Mother challenges conviction for murdering son

A mother who gave her brain-damaged son a lethal heroin injection to end his "living hell" challenges her conviction today.

Frances Inglis, 58, of Dagenham, east London, was jailed for life with a minimum term of nine years in January after being found guilty of murder and attempted murder by a jury at the Old Bailey.

Her case will be heard before a panel of three judges at the Court of Appeal in London, headed by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge.

After the conviction her family said they were standing by her over the death of her 22-year-old son Tom.

Older son Alex said at the time: "All those who loved, and were close to Tom, have never seen this as murder, but as a loving and courageous act."

Mr Inglis suffered severe head injuries when he fell out of a moving ambulance in July 2007.

His mother, who worked as a carer for disabled children, first tried to end his life two months after the accident when he was being treated at Queens Hospital in Romford, Essex.

His heart stopped for six minutes but he was revived.

The mother-of-three was charged with attempted murder before successfully trying again in November 2008, after barricading herself in her son's room at the Gardens nursing home in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire and supergluing the door.

Inglis gave an emotionally charged account to jurors of how she had "no choice" but to end his life and had done it "with love".

She said: "For Tom to live that living hell - I couldn't leave my child like that."

But Judge Brian Barker, the Common Serjeant of London, directed the jury that no-one had the "unfettered right" to take the law into their own hands.

Jurors returned majority verdicts of 10-2 and the judge told them: "You could not have had a more difficult case."