Mum who killed son, seven, given hospital order

Papaipit Linse admitted to the manslaughter of her son on the grounds of diminished responsibility

A woman who strangled her seven-year-old son at their home has been given an indefinite life order for killing him.

Papaipit Linse admitted the manslaughter of Louis Linse on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Swansea Crown Court.

Linse, 43, called 999 to report the death of her son, who was found in bed in their home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on the morning of 10 January. He died in Withybush General Hospital a short time later.

A doctor said he believed she was probably suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and the court heard that at the time of Louis' death, his father was an inpatient in a psychiatric unit in Merseyside, and the family would "visit him regularly".

Judge Paul Thomas KC sentenced Linse to a hospital order in a mental health unit, not to be released unless decided by a mental health tribunal.

He told her: "Your son Louis was not killed by you because you are a wicked person, he died because at the time you were suffering from a mental illness.

"Had you not been so ill at that time it never would have happened and you would continue being a good, caring, loving mother to him.

"What happened to [Louis] was an unspeakable tragedy and I'm quite aware that his loss is quite unbearable for many people. I truly hope, however, that the reasoning behind the order will be understood by them."

He added that all three psychiatrists who reviewed the case advised against a prison sentence.

Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, said Linse moved to the UK from Thailand in 2017 after meeting her husband in 2014, with the family settling in Haverfordwest.

Linse's phone call from her home on Upper Market Street to police was played in court, and she was heard saying "I have killed my son" repeatedly, admitting to strangling him.

When asked why, she said she "felt totally mental. I couldn't control myself and my mind".

She said she "felt like a robot" and she "couldn't remember anything".

Ms Rees said police attended the address and an officer found Louis in bed, with "a duvet over him and a pillow over his face".

'She had become paranoid'

Linse stood in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit and listened to the evidence.

John Hipkin KC, defending, said a babysitter was hired by Linse in the month before Loius' death and she described Linse's relationship with her son as "loving" when she first started working for them.

But in the week before, the babysitter "noticed a change" and said "she had become paranoid".

She said Linse was talking about conspiracy theories and believed her house was haunted by ghosts.

The court heard the babysitter contacted social services on 9 January, who said they were aware of the family and "would keep an eye on them".

Linse is receiving treatment at the Caswell Clinic, a mental health unit in Bridgend.

Dr Owen Davies, a consultant forensic psychiatrist at the clinic, said he believed Linse suffers "from a psychotic illness and meets criteria for paranoid schizophrenia".

Judge Thomas said her release "if ever appropriate, will be determined by the psychiatrist responsible for your treatment".

Linse previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denied murder, which was accepted by the prosecution.