Trustees running the Louise Woodward appeal fund yesterday vigorously denied claims that they had misspent the money donated to the former au pair and her family, insisting all the money could be accounted for.
While confusion remained about the less-than-favourable comments allegedly made by Woodward's British-born lawyer about her client, the trustees of the fund said the claims were unfounded. In a determined effort to answer the critics, the chairman of the Woodward fund, the Rev Ken Davey, insisted donations, which are believed to amount to £25,000, had been spent on hotel bills and lawyers' fees and not on personal items for the family. "No money has been spent on cars or clothes. Hotel bills have been paid to enable the family to stay in the States. We go through our claims and if there are clothes on the bill that is not allowed," he said.
The Rev Davey's statement came after reports in yesterday's Mirror and Express newspapers claimed that in a taped telephone conversation Woodward's lawyer, Ms Elaine Whitfield-Sharp (44), admitted that Woodward was asked to leave her home amid reports of "odd behaviour". It was claimed that Woodward had taken part in a seance and had tried to negotiate a book deal about the case worth a reported u £40,000. The allegations extended to a damning description of Woodward as "a duplicitous monster" and that the trust fund had not paid Ms Whitfield-Sharp's fees.
Woodward, who was found guilty of second-degree murder following the death of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen in February 1997, was released from prison last November when the charge was reduced to manslaughter and a "time served" ruling was handed down by the court. Both the prosecution and the defence lodged an appeal against the sentence, with the prosecution hoping for the murder conviction to be reinstated along with the minimum 15-year prison sentence. A decision is expected shortly.
But perhaps the most devastating allegation was that members of Woodward's legal team were beginning to doubt her innocence. Earlier this week Ms WhitfieldSharp was arrested in Massachusetts on a drink-driving charge and reportedly told a police officer: "I thought she was innocent, but now I know she is guilty and I can't handle it." However, Ms Whitfield-Sharp has denied the officer's version of events, claiming he falsified his report. The Rev Davey maintained that the allegations against the Woodward's were "downright lies" and that the people of Woodward's home town in Elton, Cheshire, would continue to stand by her. He said he could produce a bill submitted by Ms WhitfieldSharp and name the date on which it had been paid two weeks ago. "Our resolve has not been weakened. People in the village are still committed to Louise. We want very much to emphasise the positive and are fully behind her. Now we just want to know the result of the appeal and to see Louise cleared and back at home with her family," he said.