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Child killer's appeal goes ahead Child killer Allitt's tariff set
(about 6 hours later)
The High Court is set to hear convicted child killer Beverly Allitt's appeal against the length of her sentence. Killer nurse Beverly Allitt, jailed for life for murdering four children and attacking nine others, has had her minimum tariff fixed at 30 years.
Allitt, dubbed the "Angel of Death", was given 13 life sentences in 1993 for killing four children and attacking nine others at Grantham Hospital. The High Court ruled that Allitt, dubbed the "Angel of Death", would serve 30 years, as recommended by her trial judge and the Lord Chief Justice.
It was later revealed that she would have to serve 40 years before she could apply for parole. Allitt was jailed in 1993 for killing young patients at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital.
London's High Court will begin to hear her appeal against her minimum tariff later on Thursday. Mr Justice Stanley Burton said he found an "element of sadism" in her crimes.
Allitt was diagnosed as suffering from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy during the time she carried out the attacks. 'Horrific crimes'
It is a condition in which people deliberately harm others to gain attention. Allitt will only be freed if the Parole Board is satisfied she poses no danger to the public.
She is being detained at Rampton High Security Hospital in Nottinghamshire.
Mr Justice Burnton said Allitt's horrific crimes, over a period of just eight weeks on the paediatric ward, had condemned the families of the dead and injured children to "a life sentence, from which there is no remission, no release on licence".
He added: "The impact of these offences does not require to be described and could not be exaggerated. Young lives were cut short at their inception.
We can now put this behind us after 15 years. I couldn't ask for anything better David Peck, father of Allitt victim Victims' families 'relieved'
"The effect of these offences on all the families, of those bereaved and those whose child was injured or damaged, must have been terrible."
The four children murdered by Allitt were seven-week-old Liam Taylor, 11-year-old Timothy Hardwick, two-month-old Becky Phillips and 15-month-old Claire Peck.
They died between February and April 1991. Nine other children were attacked but survived.
The families had previously been informed that Allitt's minimum tariff was set at 40 years - but this information was inaccurate.
Allitt was subsequently found to be the only nurse on duty at the time of all the attacks.
David Peck, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, the father of 15-month-old Claire who died in March 1991, said: "I'm absolutely delighted with the outcome - and pleased for the other families as well.
"We can now put this behind us after 15 years. I couldn't ask for anything better."
Peter Phillips - father of another of the victims - said: "All the parents involved in this obviously will never forget."
"I don't think the press will ever forget, and the police who were involved in it because it was such an horrendous story at the time, something that you never thought would happen in this country."
The families of her victims were allowed a say in submissions to the probation service in preparation for the High Court hearing.