Parents win pay-out for son's MMR disabilities

Polly Tommey, who believes her son Billy was left autistic after having the combined measles, mumps and rubella jab, said she hoped it would pave the way for other parents who suspected their child had been affected by MMR to have their cases looked into.

A medical assessment panel awarded the pay-out to Jackie and John Fletcher from Warrington, Cheshire, after concluding their son was left severely disabled by the MMR vaccine.

Robert, now 18, has frequent epileptic fits, is unable to talk, stand unaided or feed himself, but is not autistic.

The family successfully appealed after their application for compensation under the Government's Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was originally turned down in 1997.

Mrs Tommey, from Hampton, Middlesex, labelled the ruling a "milestone".

The mother-of-four, who edits the magazine The Autism File, said: "This is a huge step forward. It is the first time in this country it's been acknowledged that the MMR vaccine is not 100 per cent safe.

"If parents say the vaccine is not safe, there should be proper independent research carried out."

The Department for Work and Pensions, which administers the payment scheme, said it did not hold information on the number of pay-outs made relating to MMR or other vaccines.

A spokesman said: "When a case is being assessed, it is not a requirement for the medical adviser to state which vaccine the damage has been attributed to, nor is it a requirement to list the disability condition that gives rise to the award."