Mary Kidson, who was cleared by a court but is still separated from her daughter
When
British mother Mary Kidson took her seriously ill daughter to a
world-renowned doctor in Belgium in the hope of finding a cure, she
could never have imagined the extraordinary events that were to follow.
When
she returned to the UK, Ms Kidson, an expert in the field of special
educational needs, was astounded to find herself imprisoned and
prosecuted – accused of trying to poison her daughter.
Then, to her horror, the child was taken from her and was subsequently placed in psychiatric care.
Now
Ms Kidson is free again, following the collapse of the case against her
at Worcester Crown Court last week, and is relieved to have her name
cleared.
But,
speaking for the first time about her ordeal, the 55-year-old says she
is furious that charges were brought in the first place, and devastated
she has yet to be reunited with her 16-year-old daughter.
In
particular she blames the NHS for operating rigid rules about treatment
that allowed the prosecution to take place – but also her former
husband, Michael Guilding, who she believes needlessly reported her to
the police.
‘It’s
unbelievable what I’ve been through,’ she says of a case that has
echoes of Ashya King, whose parents fled abroad to seek proton treatment
for his cancer and ended up in prison in Spain.
‘I am very angry and fed up as I was completely misrepresented prior to my acquittal.
‘I
am just so relieved. This case came about because I am a caring mother
and was only acting in my daughter’s interest. I’m now looking forward
to being reunited with her.
‘All
of the allegations against me were wrong. I know my ex-husband was
behind it all. I’m in no doubt. He was very upset about our divorce,
which he didn’t want, and unhappy that the children went with me. The
prosecuting team were very careful to keep him out of it during the
court hearing.
‘I have been through a huge ordeal. As things become clear I will make decisions about whether I am going to sue anyone.
‘I tried to make the best of it in prison, and I was treated well, but my life will never be the same again.
‘I hope I will become a stronger person as a result of what I’ve been put through.
‘When
I was told I was free this week, well, it’s indescribable what I felt. I
was elated, relieved, and very, very thankful that justice has at last
been done.’
The Brussels hospital where Dr Hertoghe diagnosed the girl with hormone deficiency, and prescribed medication
Ms
Kidson’s barrister, Ken Hind, says that her complaints against her
husband were part of her evidence, but were never heard in court as the
case against her collapsed.
During
the court case Ms Kidson, from Ledbury in Herefordshire, was accused of
dosing her daughter with unnecessary medicines and of ‘doctor
shopping’.
This,
it was alleged, involved touring hospitals and clinics in Britain and
then abroad, until she received a diagnosis for her daughter – hormone
deficiency – that she found acceptable, but which the NHS did not
recognise.
In
2012, desperate for help, she travelled with her daughter, who cannot
be named for legal reasons, to the Brussels clinic of Dr Thierry
Hertoghe, a Belgian physician and expert in hormone therapy.
She
believes that, as a result of the deficiency, the girl was suffering
from chronic fatigue syndrome that had left her virtually bed-ridden.
The
prosecution claimed that once under Dr Hertoghe’s supervision, Ms
Kidson administered toxic levels of three hormones in a five-month
period.
Belgian
doctor Thierry Hertoghe, left, who says that the NHS system needs to
reform. The prosecution claimed the girl was given 'toxic' levels of
medicines including hydrocortisone, right
But according to the Belgian doctor, the girl’s ailments improved.
Taking up the story, Ms Kidson’s sister, Ruth Stobbs, says: ‘Mary thought that Dr Hertoghe was absolutely fantastic.
‘He
measured my niece’s thyroid, oestrogen, growth hormone and cortisol and
found her to be deficient in all of these, so he prescribed medication
to correct the deficiencies.’
But,
it seems, when Ms Kidson’s ex-husband found out about the treatment, he
contacted police, two months later. In March 2013, police arrived at Ms
Kidson’s home with social services and arrested her.
Ms Stobbs continues: ‘I took a phone call at work from Mary who said simply, “I’ve been arrested.”
‘At
first I thought it was some sort of joke. There was silence down the
line. “Seriously. I’ve been arrested. For child cruelty”, Mary said.’
After 24 hours in custody, Ms Kidson was released on bail.
The
prosecution claimed that once under Dr Hertoghe’s supervision, Ms
Kidson administered toxic levels of three hormones in a five-month
period
Ms
Stobbs adds: ‘The judge also ordered that my niece go back to school.
She had been home-educated from age ten. Suddenly facing a return to
school, without her mother around to support her, was too much for her.
She hated it.’
The judge also ordered her to live with her father, and she ran away twice.
One
afternoon early this year, she locked herself in her father’s bathroom
and in a highly emotional state she sent a text to her mother. Mary, who
was worried her daughter was going to harm herself, texted back, which
breached her bail. Michael phoned the police and Mary was arrested again
and taken into custody, and then to Eastwood Park prison near Bristol.
‘Her
ex-husband told police and social services that Mary would try to take
their daughter out of the country, and we think this is why they have
acted as they have,’ says Ms Stobbs. ‘Mary is a responsible person and
she would never, ever have done that.’
People have a right to choose their doctor without fear
Ms
Kidson has been apart from her daughter since March 2013. In January
this year she was charged under the 1861 Offences Against The Person Act
with poisoning her daughter with thyroid extract, oestrogen and
hydrocortisone. She was then allowed only two hours supervised contact
each fortnight.
Her
daughter became so distressed that she suffered a breakdown after the
pair were separated, and was detained in hospital under the Mental
Health Act. ‘My daughter is on other medicine now but she does appear to
be fit and well, which is great,’ Ms Kidson says.
‘She is on the verge of discharge but I still don’t know when I can see her.
‘I’m
very angry with the way the Crown Prosecution Service, social services
and the police all dealt with this. They formed an opinion of me without
even meeting me.
‘The
whole case raises the question of a parent’s right to find treatment
outside the NHS for their child. Adults have total freedom to go
wherever we want in the world for our health care but if you’re a child
it seems only the NHS can treat you.’
Supporting
Ms Kidson, Dr Hertoghe says that her trial ‘should never have taken
place’ and called for widespread NHS reform to allow parents greater
choice over their child’s care.
‘Two
lives have been broken,’ he says. ‘The whole system needs reform. We
have to give people the right to choose their doctor without fear of
prosecution.’
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