End to six-year legal battle leaves Felpham family angry

Janet Stockley and her husband Steve are among the families who have agreed to halt their court case.

The discontinuance against Sanofi Aventis was legally accepted at the High Court last Friday.

Mrs Stockley, of Ullswater Grove, attended the hearing. She said she had reluctantly agreed to the move after fighting for more than six years.

“We are devastated it has ended like this and the justice system has failed our kids and so many others.

“We have had no choice but to do this as none of us has the money to take on the drug company. We would stand to lose what little we do have if we don’t sign.

“This means the company can never be held accountable for the damages caused by the drug during pregnancy to the children and will continue to prescribe it to women of child-bearing age,” she said.

But she vowed she and her husband would continue to campaign and raise awareness of their fight through their role as trustees for the Organisation for Anti-Convulsant Syndrome charity.

The couple and their two youngest sons – Kyle, 12, and Cameron, 11 – had been among the families of 100 children who were seeking compensation against Sanofi Aventis for the alleged effect of its epilepsy treatment, Epilim, on women able to have children.