Anguished parents wrongly accused of child abuse vow to fight to get adopted child back

A couple whose baby was taken from them and adopted after they were wrongly accused of child abuse have described their agonizing fight to reunite their family.

Karrissa Cox and Richard Carter from Guildford, Surrey, took their six-week infant to hospital after noticing bleeding in the baby's mouth following a feed. Bruises and what where thought to be fractures were noticed by hospital staff, and a few days later the couple were charged with child cruelty and their baby was taken into care.

Both were accused of abusing the child after an X-ray revealed what were thought to be healing metaphyseal fractures - damage to cartilage that turns into bone in childhood that can be a sign of physical abuse.

The criminal case against them collapsed after new medical evidence showed no signs of abuse.The child was suffering from a blood disorder which causes someone to bruise more easily, and a vitamin D deficiency that can cause infantile rickets.

However the child was adopted before the criminal case was concluded, and the adoption was made legal by a family court earlier this year - and their lawyers believe it is unlikely for the adoption to be overturned.

The couple had not been given legal aid to fight the adoption in the family court, and criticised the decision to finalise the adoption before the criminal court had made its ruling. Ms Cox's lawyers told ITV News the couple have been failed by every aspect of the state.

The couple were allowed supervised contact with the child for about two and half years. The baby, whose gender cannot be revealed due to the restrictions imposed by the court, is the couple's first and only child.

The couple told ITV News Reporter Rags Martel the whole experience has been nightmarish and "completely unreal".

The parents say hearing from the experts and being found not guilty of child abuse has been a huge weight off their shoulders.

Struggling to put into words the pain of the separation, they vowed to fight with "every breath they have" until their child is returned to them.