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| 'Salt baby' mum talks of ordeal | 'Salt baby' mum talks of ordeal |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A mother who was cleared of killing her 15-month-old son by poisoning him with salt has spoken of the "horrendous" accusations against her. | A mother who was cleared of killing her 15-month-old son by poisoning him with salt has spoken of the "horrendous" accusations against her. |
| Marianne Williams, 24, told BBC News it was "gut-wrenching" medical staff she trusted with her son's care had accused her of taking his life. | |
| Her son, Joshua, had high levels of sodium in his body when he died at Southampton General Hospital in 2004. | Her son, Joshua, had high levels of sodium in his body when he died at Southampton General Hospital in 2004. |
| Last week, Ms Williams, from Wiltshire, was cleared of murder and manslaughter. | Last week, Ms Williams, from Wiltshire, was cleared of murder and manslaughter. |
| Premature birth | Premature birth |
| Ms Williams said she had not been given the chance to grieve for her little boy due to the legal proceedings, which have spanned two-and-a-half years. | |
| Joshua, whose twin had died in the womb, weighed 2lb 10oz (1.2kg) at birth and had a number of medical problems, including very small kidneys. | |
| It made me feel absolutely sick the way they handled it Marianne Williams | |
| He had been born 12 weeks prematurely in November 2002 and received long-term treatment at Southampton General Hospital. | |
| Ms Williams said it was terrible to be accused of killing Joshua by the doctors who had cared for him. | |
| She said: "These are the people I've dealt with throughout Joshua's 15 months of life - people I'd turned to, people I'd trusted. | |
| "I took everything on their word. They were the first people I'd go to if I had concerns with Joshua and yet within half-an-hour I'd been accused of just basically poisoning my own son by a doctor I'd always trusted. | |
| "It was absolutely gut wrenching, it made me feel absolutely sick the way they handled it." | |
| 'Absolutely horrible' | |
| She had been arrested following Joshua's death, and described as a nightmare how she returned home from hospital to find her front door smashed by police. | |
| Following the court case, Det Insp Matt Johnson, of Wiltshire Police, defended the investigation, which he said had been "complex, and required sensitivity". | |
| He added: "The decision to bring charges was only taken after lengthy consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service and a meticulous review of all the evidence that was available." | |
| Joshua had medical problems and needed daily medication | |
| Ms Williams said in the time since Joshua's death she had been living with a vile stigma: "You know everybody you see goes on living a normal life and everything stood still basically. | |
| "Its been a rollercoaster of emotions, feelings and trying to keep normality for yourself. | |
| "Words can't even describe it, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy something like this, it's absolutely horrible. " | |
| Ms Williams said Joshua deserved to be remembered as a person, not a "calculation in a courtroom". | Ms Williams said Joshua deserved to be remembered as a person, not a "calculation in a courtroom". |
| "I had a fantastic, lovely 15 months with Joshua", she added. "I don't think Joshua knew what a normal day in life was like... but considering what he went through he was such a little character, he was such a happy gorgeous baby that I was so glad he was mine." |