British newspapers have taken the high ground in their response to Woodward's return, cautioning those who may be in a mood to celebrate. The Independent, in an editorial titled `No reason to Celebrate' said ``the whooping cheers of joy in her home town when her conviction was originally quashed turned many stomachs. Relief is one thing, exultation quite another.'' It said that if Woodward and her parents had any sense, they would ``damp down the more over-the-top celebrations.'' The paper said that while the truth of what happened to Matthew Eappen would probably never be known, most people would assume that the final result manslaughter was the most likely explanation.

The state of Massachusetts highest court upheld the reduced sentence of manslaughter against Woodward. The judgment, which leaves Woodward free to return home, alsostated that she was a convicted criminal and that neither she nor her family should profit from the crime by selling their story to the media.

The press reaction to the Woodward case is more measured and reasoned than in the case of the two British nurses accused of murdering an Australian colleague in Saudi Arabia. The Daily Mail, a traditional flag waver, also accepted the verdict of the American court: ``Most may well agree that though the system of checks and balances of the American legal process by which Miss Woodward's fate has been so meticulously determined are different to ours, justice has been done.''

The Right-wing Daily Telegraph, also normally prone to waving the Union Jack said Louise Woodward ``isn't a heroine''. In its editorial the paper said while Britain had an attractive tradition of wanting to aid their countrymen when they see them floundering overseas, ``the British lion is making a mistake if it roars for Woodward. The death of a child is immensely sad, not a matter for poppingChampagne corks.''

Attention is now focused on whether the Woodwards will heed the US court's ruling that they should not profit from the tragedy. The Woodwards are already said to have been paid $ 340,000 for an interview in The Daily Mail in November last year. The British media's non-statutory code of conduct rules out payment to convicted criminals or their associates except where ``the material concerned ought to be published in the public interest''. It is unclear, whether a conviction in a US court carries weight in Britain.

The Daily Mail is already said to have secured exclusive rights to Woodward's version of the story, but denies that any money has been paid for it. Film production companies are said to be discussing a mini-series of her life. One of Britain's most successful public relations agents, Max Clifford, warned against the sale of the Woodward story. According to Clifford, the Woodwards risked losing any public sympathy if they were seen to be profiting from the death of a baby.

Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.