Two cheers for Woodward

No one can say she returned home in triumph; no one can say she was feted as a heroine. But, as Elton waited for the Woodward motorcade, som...

No one can say she returned home in triumph; no one can say she was feted as a heroine. But, as Elton waited for the Woodward motorcade, someone had done his bit to cheer up the entrance to the Cheshire village by scrawling 8220;Free at last.

Welcome home Louise8221; on an envelope and sticking it on a post. Elton had opted for caution and, wary of previous pictures of champagne and cheering that had winged round the world from the Rigger pub after the US judge reduced to manslaughter Louise Woodward8217;s conviction for killing baby Matthew Eappen, Elton stayed at home.

On the green opposite the pub, new yellow ribbons had been tied to a fence round a tree. From here there was a good view of the road down which Louise would travel. You couldn8217;t honestly say there was an air of expectation. Judith Cavvan, who lives in a neighbouring town, said: 8220;At the end of the day a child died, so it can8217;t really be a celebration. I8217;m here, standing in the rain, out of curiosity more than anything. And it will be nice towelcome Louise home.8221;

A police motorbike arrived, its flashing blue lights helping to create a sense of occasion. Then a police Land-Rover. And then the one we were waiting for: after an absence of 717 days, Louise Woodward, who had crossed the Atlantic in the first-class cabin of a jumbo jet, rode unsmiling into Elton in the front seat of a minibus. As the bus turned into Marsh Lane, a lone voice cried: 8220;Keep your chin up Louise. We know you8217;re innocent.8221; The vehicle pulled up outside the Woodwards8217; detached family home and Louise ran in to hug her 19-year-old sister Vicky and the family dog. Ten minutes later she reappeared in denim jacket, jeans and trainers to smile for a few pictures with her parents, Sue and Gary. Then she went back in and that was it.

8220;She wants to go to sleep,8221; explained Andre Miller, the MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston who had driven her from Heathrow to Manchester and minded her through her press conference. Louise had put on an accomplished performance before scores ofreporters and the stroboscope effect of photographers8217; flashlights, insisting on her innocence in her transatlantic accent. She was happy to be back on English soil, she was sorry for baby Matthew Eappen8217;s death, she wanted to thank her supporters and lawyers, she hadn8217;t sold her story. And, no, she had no message for the parents of the child she is convicted of killing. Asked if her life could ever be the same again, she answered simply: 8220;Of course not. How could it be?8221; Miller said: quot;It8217;s been a long haul. Seeing the yellow ribbons and the great public interest in the case has surprised Louise.8221;

He maintained his unswerving loyalty to his constituent and declared: 8220;I have no doubt whatsoever that Louise is a fit and proper person to look after children.8221; In Elton, Phil Ward, a supporter from Newton-le-Willows, was overcome with emotion as he stood beneath a beribboned umbrella. 8220;I just burst into tears of joy, because she8217;s back with her family where she belongs,8221; he said.

Away from what littleaction there was, Elton was quiet, except for a burglar alarm going mad in Parklands Drive. No yellow ribbons on homes named Rivendell, Pansea and Sprinbourne in Pinewood Close, but a house in Old Hall Lane was decorated with a black and white cat and a big banner proclaiming 8220;Welcome home Louisexxx8221;. A bedraggled poster on a lamp post seemed to catch the mood. It advertised a slimming class 8220;where it isn8217;t a sin to be less than perfect8221;.