Young girl was killed by mum who took own life - inquest

Warning: This story contains details that some may find disturbing.

A young girl described as a "ray of sunshine" was unlawfully killed by her mother who took her own life, a coroner has concluded.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died last year as a result of her mother deliberately injecting her with insulin, an inquest held at Oxford Coroner's Court found.

An inquest held last week ruled her mum, who was going through court proceedings over the custody and residence of her children with her ex-husband, died by suicide.

Coroner Nicholas Graham described the case as "incredibly tragic" and said the mother's actions were deliberate and premeditated, with the "intention to cause death or grievous bodily harm".

The court heard that there had been "prolonged family court proceedings" taking place prior to the incident.

It heard that a recent family court hearing had taken place, during which an application that the mother had made was rejected.

She subsequently emailed her family therapist saying she had "lost" and criticised the decision, the inquest heard.

Det Sgt Michael Neath, who said this was "one of the saddest cases I have ever worked on", told the inquest that the mum had told the children that they were going abroad on holiday.

He said she injected the children with insulin to "prevent jet lag" and that she also gave them a substance that police believe to be calpol.

Neath told the inquest that there were three attempts to "conceal" what was happening inside the house, including the mother asking the neighbour for a spare house key back in the days leading up to the incident and by drawing the curtains across the property.

He said the third "possible most significant" attempt was the mother moving her vehicle the day before they were both discovered, which he said was "an attempt to make it look like the family had gone away".

The inquest also heard that the mother had confiscated all electronic communication devices in the home.

Neath said there was no reason for insulin to be in the property, adding: "Certainly the planning did take place for some time."

Graham told the inquest that she also administered what is believed to be nytol.

He said when the children resisted she continued to inject them "multiple times".

He said one of the children heard their sibling "coughing and choking", and that she died that night.

The following day the two surviving children were unable to wake their mum and sibling and alerted their neighbour, who found the girl laying on the bed "lifeless".

There were "no life saving opportunities" for the girl, and the mother was taken to hospital where she died a month later.

Their father, who was present at the inquest, said he made several attempts to contact the children and the mother in the days leading up to the girl's death, but received no answer.

Graham gave the child's medical cause of death as "effects of insulin excess".

He said she suffered hypoglycaemic brain damage and a hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury, caused by the deliberate, non-therapeutic administration of insulin.

He later said the direct cause of her death was an "unprecedented criminal act".

During the inquest her father shared a heartfelt tribute of the girl, which included a picture, a video and a piece of her artwork.

He said: "There are no words to describe the sadness that [she] is no longer with us."

He said she was a "combination of her magic and joyfulness" and that she had a smile "from eye to eye".

Meanwhile, Graham said a neighbour had described her as a "ray of sunshine" and an "exceptionally happy child".

Her father raised concerns about the court proceedings and requested the coroner to issue a Reports to Prevent Future Deaths (PFD) report.

He also questioned whether there could be risk to other children in the future.

Graham did not issue a PFD, saying he could not criticise findings in the family court, but said there are two statutory multi-agency reviews that should be established, and that they will have access to "all relevant files".

He also proposed to share his findings with the agencies and ensure the concerns raised are "examined and considered" by the authorities.

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