Lindsay Clancy case: was it evil, or severe mental illness?

There are many threads about this case already. Do a search.

That the question though, isn’t it? Was she in the throes of psychosis? She certainly wasn’t before, or after. So what’s the evidence she was when she murdered her children? That she murdered her children? It’s all very circular reasoning. That she said so? Well, she would, wouldn’t she?

Do you know anything about psychosis and how it presents? People can look incredibly logical, rational and sane - not all psychosis presents as people raving and ranting in the corner.

No one is talking about them because there's no doubt that she killed them. That appalling fact is not up for debate. The kernel of the trial is whether she was sane or insane when she killed them, and hence whether she's guilty of murder or not. Hence the focus is on her state of mind, not her victims.

I believe I had postnatal psychosis after DS was born, but I hid it so well, that not only did no one else realise, but I didn't really realise myself until much later. I remember the shadows on the floor were talking to me and telling me to do things -- fortunately, none of the things were murderous towards my baby. I appeared in full possession of my senses to DH, visitors, HV, GP, NCT people etc.

She didn't want to walk away. She was practically begging for help and everyone, including members of her own family, let her down. I truly believe she loved her family. In most other filicide cases the prosecution could find a reason that the mother wanted the children gone: most prominently is that they had fallen for a person that did not want children. There has been no mention of any reason Lindsay would have wanted her children dead. The idea that she wanted out from under the responsibility is BS.

Evil. Im not going to defend her just because she’s a woman. Women do bad stuff as well

I think you can be mentally ill and still plan something. Look at people that die by suicide. They plan over a long time and look ok to many others on the outside. I don’t think she is evil at all.

I also don’t believe that looking at things on the internet proves it was planned. She maybe had these feelings before, looked it up and then did nothing at that time.

I believe there are evil people that do these things to their children, such as mothers or fathers that kill their children because of custody battles but this was not the case.

Plus who would want to paralyse themselves, I believe she had a real suicide attempt because it was all too much.

I had seen she was on many tablets at the same time and health care givers were not talking with each other and maybe she did not give the information either but if you are overwhelmed you can forget these things.

Well this shows a fundamental lack of understanding of what psychosis actually is 🙄

I don't think being mentally ill excuses her to be honest. Many women suffer post partum depression. Some women suffer post partum psychosis. Very very few of them MURDER their children.

She knew she was unwell. She had thought previously that she was capable of hurting them. She could have walked away and didn't

Mentally ill. It appears she was a loving mother until she killed them. I don’t think anyone can be a loving mother like that and then kill her kids without being mentally ill. 🤷‍♀️

Well obviously not evil. No one has three kids, spends years raising them then suddenly turns evil and kills them.

Dont know the case at all

please link if tslking about a specific case

The very fact you murder your children means that you are mentally unwell

those of us who are mentally well get pushed to the limit but we go no where near murder or even harming

This. Everyone seems to talk about poor HER, how awful for HER. Nobody seems to be talking about the poor children she MURDERED.

If she had been ill for a long time, and had thoughts previously of hurting her children, why the fuck didn't she walk away while she could?

But this is how psychotic illness works, unfortunately. It’s not a ‘loss of control’ in the way you’re imagining - it’s a fixed, unshakeable belief that carrying out a particular action is correct and righteous. Killings committed during a psychotic episode can be meticulously planned out and executed - it’s not generally a wild, uncontrolled rampage. The point is that the ill person firmly believes that what they’re doing is the right and indeed the only possible course of action.

The trouble is people want someone to pay for the murder of those three children not shrug their shoulders and say oh well it was mental illness .

Clearly never seen anyone in the throes of psychosis then.

It was mental illness. My friends sister had post partum psychosis. It was terrifying. Luckily for her she got the help she needed but I can easily believe she could have done something similar.

I find it hard to understand how anyone can believe otherwise. What was her motive?

I would argue that what we call evil is itself a mental health issue/personality disorder

I watched the whole trial and think she was mentally ill, but wasn’t overly convinced she met
the legal definition for insanity, given she only heard the voices / was in psychosis during the crime. But I do believe she was very unwell and let down medically.

Ask Patrick...