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Original poster

To question the jail sentence for the mum who stabbed her 4 year old?

276 replies

Liketochat1 · 31/08/2012 13:56

There's such a sad story of a mum who stabbed her 4 year old daughter in the news at the moment.www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9510938/Nurse-who-stabbed-her-four-year-old-to-death-gets-12-years.html.
She looks like such a broken woman. She not only killed her daughter but also tried to kill herself leaving herself with some brain damage and confined to a wheel chair with other physical disabilities. At the time of the attack she was depressed and facing charges for malpractice and had been left by her partner that day.
She has just been sentenced to 12 years in jail. Do you think she should be jailed? I can't help help but feel she's suffered so much already. Am I unreasonable?

OP posts:
OP posts:
MoreCrackThanHarlem · 31/08/2012 14:02

I agree with the sentence.

Very tragic story, but she murdered a little girl in such a brutal way. The pathologist said she lived for up to 2 hours after the attack Sad

As I understand it, she has been judged fit to stand trial and does not need treatment in a psychiatric hospital.
What sentence would you think more suitable?

Greythorne · 31/08/2012 14:03

Of course she should be jailed. What she has done is monstrous.

BlackberryIce · 31/08/2012 14:05

So what should happen to her in your opinion?

And they didn't split up that day.... It was over a month before

TallulahTwinkle · 31/08/2012 14:05

YABU for not having this in the news topic so I can hide it

:(

DanyTargaryen · 31/08/2012 14:05

She stabbed her own daughter to death, she deserves longer. I don't give a fig if she was depressed, what on earth possessed her to take it out on her own child? FGS!

SecretCermonials · 31/08/2012 14:05

I dont feel the sentence was harsh enough TBH. The poor child suffered a slow and painful death.

shesariver · 31/08/2012 14:06

Of course YABU! Sick of do gooders trotting out "oh theyve had a hard life and are depressed" claptrap to excuse crimes. Im a Psychiatric Nurse and have treated hundreds of depressed patients in my job - none of whom have murdered their child.

threesocksmorgan · 31/08/2012 14:07

yabu she took the life of a small child,
12 years in fact is a bit short imo

JustFabulous · 31/08/2012 14:09

I posted this on your duplicate thread.

Her partner didn't leave her that day. He told her he was taking a woman out for dinner that day.

I know I should have sympathy but she killed her daughter who took hours to die. I can't see any justification for that.

BlackberryIce · 31/08/2012 14:10

Depression was her only defence?

TandB · 31/08/2012 14:11

If a father had done this the day his ex-wife said she was going out on a date, would you feel the same, OP?

CharlieCoCo · 31/08/2012 14:12

I agree with the sentence too. it says she said it would be cruel to leave her with no money-id rather my mum did this to me than killed me Confused.
Think also the article and the photo makes her seem cold too (which is understandable, but i mean, im not feeling any sympathy based on it).

threesocksmorgan · 31/08/2012 14:12

how can your partner be a defence for murdering your child?

sugarice · 31/08/2012 14:13

She's looking like a broken woman because she lived and didn't succeed in ending her own life as she hoped. A truly awful crime that she will live with forever and not just when she leaves prison.

YABU in reserving sympathy for her suffering!.

expatinscotland · 31/08/2012 14:13

I agree with the sentence, too.

squoosh · 31/08/2012 14:15

Aside from the fact that she murdered her child, she chose a violent and lingering death. There seem to be so many cases of parents stabbing their children these days, would a parent, even one who wasn't in their right mind not think that maybe sleeping pills would be a 'kinder' death.

I know that murder is murder and the end result is the same but the horror and agony that the poor child must have gone through doesn't bear thinking about.

ClaireDeTamble · 31/08/2012 14:17

YABU - it's not long enough.

Her daughter died slowly and painfully knowing that the person she loved most in the world was responsible.

I'd also question her seriousness about killing herself - medically trained and armed with a knife she opts for a slow acting poison rather than a cut to one of her arteries - no matter how irrational, she must have realised there was a chance she would be found on time! Take killing her daughter out of the equation and the attempt on her own life would have been labelled a cry for help!

GoldWithADragonTattoo · 31/08/2012 14:18

I think 12 years is fair. She's pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility rather than murder so they have taken her mental state into account. 12 years is a lot less than the sentence would be for a murder in similar circumstances (well it would be a life sentence but the judge usually indicates minimum sentence to be served).

expatinscotland · 31/08/2012 14:18

She killed her, then changed her into clean clothes. I can't begin to imagine, I really can't, having seen my own daughter die from natural causes. I really can't.

numbum · 31/08/2012 14:19

As someone who's had severe depression including hallucinations and waking up in the morning not having a clue what I did the day before for months, I do unfortunately understand how these things can happen. And unless you've been through it you'll never understand. It's fair enough saying 'how can somebody kill their own child' but the point is nobody in their right mind would do that to their own child

However, she killed her daughter and needs to be punished for doing so I do agree with the sentence she was given. I just hope she gets some help for her mental state while she's in prison

MissPerception · 31/08/2012 14:21

I saw that tragic story in the paper. What depths of misery that poor woman will live the remainder of her life. I'm sure she wishes she were dead.

Mental illness is something that a lot of us don't seem to have a lot of sympathy or understanding of.

Mrbojangles1 · 31/08/2012 14:21

Um when i read her story i could not belive it my first thougt was she killed her daugter because she had been caught defrauding her work at worst she would of just been sacked and maybe got a caution or a sursuspened sentence

But when i read more it turns out the bf had left her when she was caught and she killed the poor little girl because she was jelous of him taking another women out

Her disabling herself dose not move me and i actaully thing 12 years is rather light bearing in mind she killed a child

BlackberryIce · 31/08/2012 14:21

I think op is questioning being in prison as opposed to psychiatric care

Or is it because she is now disabled and she should have special treatment?

ShiftyFades · 31/08/2012 14:21

Yabu, she didn't "just" stab her, she killed her. Her own child Shock

She may need help (doesn't appear so thought from the article) but she did something that nothing can be worse than.

I can not sympathise with someone who kills their child, whatever the circumstances. I have no empathy at all.

It is the worst crime Sad