Au Pair Accuses the Eappens

"If the parents didn't do it, who did?" With those words, Louise Woodward came out swinging in her battle with the Eappen family over the death of Baby Matthew. In what she promises will be her only interview, Woodward used the BBC's 'Panorama' program to cast herself as the Eappen's scapegoat: "There was the whole feeling that somebody had to pay and that somebody had to be me," she said. She accused the police officers who questioned her of misconstruing her testimony as a confession.

Britain's tabloids are not impressed, however. The Daily Mirror led the chorus slamming the interview, citing everything from the choice of interviewer and setting to Woodward's attire and demeanor as an attempt to echo a famous Princess Diana BBC. More important, is the issue payment for her story. "The issue has assumed a lot more importance here than it would in the U.S.," says TIME London bureau chief Barry Hillenbrand. "Reports that her family may have received money for her story have hurt her credibility." The Daily Mail may have more cause than most of its rival tabloids to grumble: Unlike the BBC's free ride, the tabloid reported on Saturday that its exclusive Woodward story was based on a $66,000 payment to her parents last November.