On 7 January 1973 the starved emaciated body of seven-year-old Maria Colwell was delivered in an old pram to a Brighton hospital The subsequent inquiry stated:
The overall impression created by Maria's sad history is that i while individuals made mistakes, it was " the system ". : using the words in the widest e sense, which failed her. Because that system is the product of society. It is upon society as a whole that the ultimate blame must rest: indeed, the highly emotional and angry reaction of the public in this case may indicate society's troubled conscience.'
Narrated by Edgar Lustgarten Written and produced by ALAN BURGESS