Dylan Scanlon: Mum who poisoned and beat son, 5, jailed for murder

Dylan Scanlon's mother gave him a lethal dose of her antidepressants and beat him

A mother who poisoned her five-year-old son by giving him antidepressants on New Year's Eve and beat him has been jailed for his murder.

Dylan Scanlon was found dead with nine times the fatal dose for an adult in his system at Claire Scanlon's home in Oldham, on 31 December 2021.

The 37-year-old refused to come out of her room at a secure hospital to appear via video-link.

She was given a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard Scanlon had earlier sent abusive messages to Dylan's father, Gary Keenan, saying he would not see him again.

Family members could be heard sobbing as victim impact statements were read to the court.

Mr Keenan said his son was a "happy, adventurous, cheeky little boy who loved life", adding: "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that Claire would harm Dylan."

'Hateful revenge'

His statement continued: "I don't think I will ever be the same person again. Every happy event is now tinged with sadness because Dylan is not here.

"I cannot sleep at night. I hold a lot of guilt because I sometimes think that I should never have left."

Claire Scanlon "went from being a good mother who loved Dylan very much to murdering him", the judge says

The prosecution barrister, Lisa Wilding KC, also read a statement from Dylan's brother Shawn who said he "felt betrayed" by his mother.

"What she chose to do to Dylan was angry, hateful and disgusting. I felt she had done this as revenge, and that she wanted to get my dad back," he added.

The trial was told toxicological tests found levels of the antidepressant mirtazapine, which had been prescribed to Scanlon, in Dylan's system, which would have killed nine adults.

• Mum who poisoned and beat son, 5, guilty of murder

The court heard Scanlan must have popped the antidepressant tablets out of their packets one by one showing there was a premeditated plan to kill her son.

Dylan was also found to have suffered more than 30 "non-accidental" injuries, bruises on his head and body in the 24 hours before his death.

Police found a note in the house suggesting she had planned for them both to die, the jury was told.

Dylan's father Gary Keenan says he will never be the same person again after losing his son

The judge, Mrs Justice Yip, said: "The murder of any child by a parent is rightly dealt with as a matter of the utmost seriousness.

"I must also reflect that you caused Dylan additional suffering by repeatedly assaulting him. I am sure you meant to kill Dylan but the mitigating factor is your mental disorder."

She said the fact that Scanlon had been diagnosed with Huntington's disease might go some way to explaining but not excusing her behaviour and she accepted a medical expert's evidence the disease could cause irritability, mood swings and outbursts of anger.

Huntington's is a rare inherited disorder that damages certain nerve cells in the brain, and the judge told Scanlon: "I realise you will probably not survive the minimum term I have set."

She added: "I realise that being in prison will be harder for you than most. It will be up to others to decide where you serve your sentence."

The court also heard Scanlon had a low IQ and suffered from "moderate depression".

Dylan's brother Shawn describes his mother's actions as "angry, hateful and disgusting"

The judge said if Scanlan had murdered Dylan six months later, she would have been given a whole-life sentence automatically, after a change to legislation for parents who kill their children.

She earlier told the court it was clearly a "deliberate refusal" by Scanlon not to appear for sentencing and was also "disappointing".

A senior nurse said he did not have the authority to physically compel her to come to the video room.

After sentencing, the judge directly addressed Dylan's father, saying: "I am very sorry for your loss. It must be an enormously difficult situation for you."

She praised the dignified way they gave evidence, noting despite their anger and grief they had said that in the past Scanlon had been a good mother.

Senior investigating officer Phil Reade said he understood the sentencing would "not heal" Dylan's dad and brother's "broken hearts" but he hoped it would "bring them a step closer to closure and gives them a sense of relief".

In January 2022, Oldham Council confirmed Dylan's case would be the focus of a review, which would scrutinise contact between several different organisations and his family.

The police force also said it had sent the case to its professional standards branch and the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to "previous contact" with the family.

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