London - The number of British girls going to the US to be au pairs has fallen in the wake of the Louise Woodward trial.
Numbers are down by more than two-thirds because the girls are afraid to apply for jobs after Woodward was tried for the killing of eight-month-old baby Matthew Eappen, au pair agencies say.
About 400 British au pairs will be placed in America this year, compared with 1,500 last year, according to figures compiled by the Washington Post. One agency said its recruits had fallen from 800 to 200. The disclosure came as lawyers acting for the Eappen family pledged they would pursue a £20 million civil action against Woodward (20) to make sure she does not benefit financially from her crime.