Mum Not Guilty Of Sons Murder By Reason Of Insanity

17 January 2019, 13:29 | Updated: 17 January 2019, 13:31

A woman from Rochford who strangled her seven-year-old son and then drowned him in the bath at the family home last July, has been found not guilty of his murder by reason of insanity.

37 year old Christina Acres of Rochford Garden Way, who accepts she killed George Acres, has been given an indeterminate hospital order.

A trial at Basildon Crown Court heard Ms Acres had a history of mental illness, and that she thought George was a "witch" at the time of his killing.

Speaking after the court hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Truss, of Kent and Essex's Serious Crime Directorate, said: "The loss of a child will always be devastating and the death of George will leave the family in pain for some time.

"It is clear that, at the time of the incident, Christina Acres was not well.

"She has been found not guilty today by reason of insanity and will receive the treatment and care that she needs."

Judge Mrs Justice Christina Lambert told jurors at the start of the trial that two expert psychiatrists "appear to agree" that Acres was not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, but that only a jury could return this verdict.