The parents of tragic dancer Aimee Wellock are launching a campaign for changes in the law after three teenagers had their convictions for manslaughter quashed.

Alan and Jackie Wellock are considering asking Prime Minister Tony Blair and Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald to reassess the way manslaughter cases are dealt with by the legal system.

The family say barrister Simon Myerson, who prosecuted the trial of 19-year-old Claire Carey and two girls aged 17 and 15, is to raise legal issues arising from the case with the DPP.

Aimee, 15, collapsed and died in June last year after running away from the girl gang who had attacked her and her friends at the Chellow Dene beauty spot in Bradford.

Young mum Carey, of Allerton Grange Drive, Allerton, and her two co-defendants, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were found guilty of affray and manslaughter after a two-week trial last October. Carey was sentenced to two years youth custody. The younger girls were given two-year.

This week the Court of Appeal overturned the manslaughter verdicts but upheld the convictions for affray. The court ruled that Carey's sentence should remain, but the 17-year-old's detention order was halved and the heavily-pregnant 15-year-old's detention order was replaced with a three-year supervision order.

The appeal judges said Aimee would not have died when she did had it not been for the affray but the injuries caused were slight and the attackers did not intend to cause very serious harm or for her to die.

Today Mr Wellock, of Canford Drive, Allerton, said the family had been told they could not legally challenge the appeal court ruling. They have ruled out taking civil action in the case. But he said Mr Myerson was looking at asking the DPP to consider the law in light of Aimee's case.

Mr Wellock said: "Mr Myerson said all along it was the whole event that resulted in the affray and ultimately Aimee's death. We are saying the injury caused to Aimee was the rush of adrenaline from the build-up of all the incidents within the affray, and that adrenaline rush caused her heart to fail.

"Mr Myerson will be asking the DPP to consider whether the law should be changed. He is looking at the consequence of people's actions in this type of attack and saying if someone watches another person being severely beaten, that would cause anxiety, fear and an adrenaline rush that could result in that person dying."

Mr Wellock said there needed to be public debate about changing the laws.

He said: "I want to see a complete overhaul of the judicial system and the way trials are conducted. Another option is to speak to Tony Blair or the Home Secretary. But in the first instance we will be asking local MPs to get involved."

MP Marsha Singh (Lab, Bradford West), whose constituency includes Allerton, said he would be sympathetic to any approach for support from the Wellocks.

A spokesman for Mr Myerson confirmed consideration of the judgement was being made.

e-mail: steve.wright

@bradford.newsquest.co.uk