Boy killed by mum was under watch of social teams

An urgent review will seek to establish how a 14-month-old boy being monitored by social workers was murdered by his mother.

Emma Barnett poisoned her son, Oakley, in November 2024, after a judge decided he should be taken away from her.

The 36-year-old, from Loughton in Essex, was found guilty of murder at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday and will be sentenced on Friday.

Essex County Council said the ongoing review, undertaken by the Essex Safeguarding Children Board, would be published in due course.

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Social services had already taken Barnett's five other children away from her before a judge determined Oakley should also be removed on 8 November 2024.

She failed to attend the hearing in Chelmsford, instead watching some of it via an online link. She murdered her son within hours of the ruling.

Her murder trial was told of some of the dealings she had with social workers after Oakley's birth.

Some of the details heard by the jury included:

• Oakley was made the subject of a child protection order shortly after his birth in 2023, after social workers shared concerns of "neglect"
• Barnett told one of her social workers about not bonding with or loving Oakley in May 2024, and shared worries of not being able to care for him
• Five of Barnett's children were removed from her care in July 2024. She sought help for Oakley four times in that month
• A safety plan was made for Oakley in September 2024, which included Barnett having night support from 19:00 to 07:00 every day
• Oakley was placed under an interim supervision order a month later, and the safety plan was put in place

When contacted by the BBC, a spokesman for Essex County Council said: "We offer our condolences to Oakley's loved ones during this very difficult time.

"There is an ongoing child safeguarding practice review into this by the Essex Safeguarding Children Board, which will be published in due course."

During her trial, Barnett said she was "in crisis" and having "dark thoughts" at the time of Oakley's death, but denied killing him to "keep control of him".

Oakley remained in a coma after being poisoned until 31 December, when his life support was turned off, and he died.

Having become concerned for the pair's welfare on 8 November 2024, police forced entry to their house in Chester Road at 20:00 GMT.

However, they left without searching the loft - where Barnett and Oakley were hiding.

Officers returned and found them about three hours later. Oakley remained in a coma in hospital and he died on 31 December that year after his life-support was turned off.

Essex Police has already referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its missing persons search for Oakley and Barnett.

The IOPC said it had "identified potential learning" for the force. Essex police said it had implemented those recommendations, including better searches of lofts, cellars and outbuildings.

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