A COUPLE cleared of any involvement in the killing of a baby girl found encased in a concrete block have been criticised by police for revealing details about the case.

Phillip and Anne Chadwick told a national magazine of their shock at being arrested on suspicion of murdering the tot when police called at their home in Sandles Road, The Ridings, Droitwich, in January.

In the article, Mrs Chadwick, a 41-year-old mother of three, said they were arrested after tests showed she had a DNA match with the child.

The remains of the baby were discovered by a man clearing out his garage in the tiny village of Barepot, in Cumbria, in September, 2002.

The couple, who once lived just yards from where the grim discovery was made, joined other villagers in providing DNA samples to police to use in their quest to identify the four-month-old tot whom they named Lara.

Mrs Chadwick revealed in the article that Lara had suffered a head wound and explained that after being cleared of any involvement in her death, police said the baby may have been her secret sister, explaining the DNA link.

She said her mother, Sheila, had a secret 15-year affair with her married next-door neighbour, Joe Thwaites. It was only when his wife died and the two married, that Mrs Chadwick and her younger sister, Yvonne, discovered that he was their father.

Mrs Chadwick told the magazine she believed Lara was the secret daughter of her parents who are now both dead, although she insisted neither would have hurt a child.

Detectives, battling to solve the case, have criticised the couple for revealing details that could prove crucial to helping them solve the case of how the baby ended up in her made-to-measure concrete tomb.

"I'm surprised and saddened that Mr and Mrs Chadwick revealed confidential issues in such a regrettable manner," said Det Ch Insp Andy Carter, who is leading the inquiry.