Donna Anthony denied doing any harm to her children

A woman serving two life sentences for murdering her two babies may have been wrongly jailed, a BBC investigation suggests.

In 1998 Bristol Crown Court found Donna Anthony, then 25, guilty of murdering her 11-month old daughter and four-month-old son.

Doctors initially believed Ms Anthony's daughter, Jordan, who died in Yeovil District Hospital in February 1996, had been a victim of cot death.

But when the second child, Michael, died in March 1997 and medical examination proved inconclusive, police began an investigation.

Now fresh evidence uncovered by the Real Story programme challenges the testimony of expert witness Professor Sir Roy Meadow who said Ms Anthony had probably smothered both babies.

The same BBC team discovered new facts surrounding the deaths of the children of Angela Cannings - another case in which Professor Meadow's opinions proved crucial and which is now going through the Court of Appeal.

Babies filmed

Police had found no hard evidence that Donna Anthony, who frantically tried to revive both babies after they suddenly stopped breathing, had injured her children.

But at her trial Professor Meadow ruled out any natural cause of death.

He gave the jury a description of how a mother like Donna might smother her babies.

Donna has always struck me as very vulnerable Solicitor George Hawks

He also said a button found in Jordan's stomach at autopsy could not have got there accidentally because it was unlikely a child of that age could pick up such a small object.

However, Real Story filmed a baby boy a few days younger than Jordan repeatedly putting a button in his mouth. A five-month-old girl was able to do the same.

The programme also heard from a medical expert who said it was possible for a baby of under 12 months to pick up such an object and inhale it.

Dr Tony Waterson, a community paediatrician at Newcastle General Hospital, said: "I would expect the baby to be able to pick something up. The smaller the object, the less easy to pick up, but that is certainly within the range of what a baby is expected to do."

Killer bug

Real Story also discovered evidence pointing to Donna Anthony's innocence in the death of Michael, whose autopsy revealed the presence of Staphylococcus Aureus in his ear and lung - the same bacteria that caused the death of Harry, one of Sally Clark's children.

Sally Clark was cleared of murder earlier this year

Tests carried out at Yeovil District Hospital show that Michael had the infection in January and again in March. He was in hospital for nine days and died the next day.

But Professor Meadow testified that his death, too, was "typical of smothering."

Ms Anthony's lawyer, George Hawks, said: "Donna has always struck me as very vulnerable. It would never have crossed her mind that anyone would think she had done anything to harm her children."

The opinions of Professor Meadow, now retired, also helped to secure the conviction of Sally Clark and were heard in the trial of Trupti Patel. Mrs Clark was cleared of murdering her two sons at the Court of Appeal and Mrs Patel was acquitted of murdering three of her children at Reading Crown Court.

Mr Hawks told Real Story he expected Donna Anthony to appeal against her conviction for a second time.