Lianne Smith found guilty, what does MN think?

[FoxSake]

Personally, I think she was probably in an abusive relationship but as a mother our responsibility is to protect our children. I felt very differently until I read that the child her partner was found guilty of abusing was her older child from a previous relationship. surely as parents we should always side with our children and protect them?

It seems a very sad case I know domestic abuse is not so clear cut and unfortunately women remain with abusers daily but I do think her guilty verdict was the right one to provide justice for her children. She put her own needs before theirs, so terribly sad.

Apologies if there is another thread on this I could't find it on a search.

I agree with her sentence, but what I want to know is why Martin Smith only got 16 years for his crimes.

smith didnt commit double murder
she did
different crimes different tariffs

there is a difference between child abuse and murder.

He killed himself anyway so that's academic now isn't it?

Yes I think she's a psychopath.

Saying she killed her children so they wouldn't be taken away - was an EXCUSE - the must acceptable reason she could think of...to put her in a better light.

So I'm glad she didn't get away with it.

I don't think she's saying having an abused 18 year old on her doorstep is better than them being dead. I think that's separate, she feels telling the police about her abuse was the best thing she could have done as he stopped him abusing. She wasn't to know her mother would then kill them

we can't guess her diagnosis,mental state or motives
and as abhorrent as it is,doesn't necessarily follow she's psychopath

I know what you mean, but I'm guessing her diagnosis and motives based on the circumstances and the evidence I read.

There is an assumption that because she said she killed her children for their own good so they didn't get taken into care, that it's a fact.

But it didn't ring true.

diagnosis is a face to face assessment.
nuances,tone,content speech,demeanor,rapport
we will get none of that from press
so what we do glean will be from reports etc
it is a shocking and distressing situation on so many levels.

The crimes are different but they should have the same tariff. Sixteen years for raping a child is a joke. People have got stiffer sentences for embezzlement. The child has to live with that for the rest of her life. Many victims of sexual abuse do not recover.