Woman (34) given 10 years for killing infant son and attempting to murder daughter (2)

A 34-year-old woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for killing her eight-week old infant son and attempting to murder her two-year-old daughter. The defendant, whose name is withheld due to a reporting restriction, stabbed both children in their family home on July 27th, 2021. Judge Stephen Fowler divided the sentence equally between prison time and supervised licence.

The woman, who was already serving time, is set to be released shortly and will then commence the five-year licence period. Initially charged with murder and attempted murder, the woman pleaded guilty to infanticide and attempted murder after a trial in 2023. The court of appeal overturned her convictions, resulting in her retrial.

A consultant forensic psychiatrist diagnosed the woman with an abnormality arising from a depressive episode during a medic's examination, leading to the admission of a charge of infanticide. The judge noted that the relationship between the defendant and her partner was marked by domestic violence, sexual abuse, threats, and coercive control.

The defendant had communicated her intentions to kill her children to her partner, who was subsequently arrested and removed from the family home. Three days later, the woman wrote diary entries expressing love for her partner and the desire to take her children's lives to prevent mockery. Later that evening, she allegedly stabbed both children using kitchen knives before calling her partner (now in England) and the police.

The daughter is now in foster care, receiving support for her emotional well-being, while the mother is due to be released imminently and must reside at an approved address during her licence period, with restrictions on unsupervised contact with individuals under the age of 18.