Victory is in sight for a campaign by The Argus to secure justice for murdered babies.

The Law Commission plans to close a loophole which allows parents and guardians who kill to walk free from court.

Its proposals could be included in the Queen's Speech in November.

Two shocking cases in Sussex prompted The Argus to lobby two successive Home Secretaries.

The first, in 2000, involved a Brighton couple who, experts and police testified, murdered two baby sons and a baby nephew.

The court heard evidence of how the father would put his nicotine-stained fingers down the babies' throats to stop them crying.

Medical experts said they were sure all three babies had been smothered.

The following year, a Portslade couple escaped prosecution for murder despite police finding 54 injuries on their four-year-old adopted son, John Smith.

All four adults were jailed for cruelty but were not prosecuted for murder because it could not be proved who inflicted the fatal injuries.

The Law Commission now wants to beef up the sentence for cruelty and to make both guardians culpable.

The commission is seeking a new law of aggravated child cruelty carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years, as opposed to the current ten years for child cruelty, and a new offence of failing to protect a child, with a maximum sentence of seven years.

Linda Terry, John Smith's aunt who launched a Justice for John campaign, said: "It was not just for John but for all children murdered by people who get away with it."

Malcolm Bacon, the retired detective inspector who investigated both Sussex crimes, said: "This is a tremendous success for The Argus and everyone who campaigned."