Antrim: Trial begins of woman accused of murdering son

The woman, aged 41, has gone on trial at Antrim Crown Court

A woman has gone on trial accused of the murder of her toddler son and the attempted murder of his baby brother.

Emergency services were called to a property in the Magheramorne area of Antrim in March 2020 after reports of injuries to a woman and her two children.

The child, a boy aged two years and ten months, was found dead from stab wounds.

A woman and baby, aged 11 months, were also seriously injured.

The defendant, who is 41 years old, and her partner and children cannot be named for legal reasons.

She has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The jury at Antrim Crown Court was told by the trial judge that there is no doubt the accused caused the injuries which led to the death of the toddler, as well as the injuries to his baby brother.

"What is in dispute is her mental state at the time," the judge explained.

As the prosecution case opened, the court heard that both children were found in a master bedroom upstairs with their mother, by their father, her partner.

He had returned from work and called an ambulance after a series of text messages from their mother, which ended with her texting she had killed the boys and that she was dying too.

Fatal stab injuries

Emergency services attending the scene at the rural property outside Larne noticed that painkilling patches had been stuck on the children.

A knife with a five-inch blade was found at the scene.

The toddler had received fatal stab injuries while the baby and his mother had both sustained stab injuries.

A series of notes written by the accused were found in the house, one saying: "I'm taking my kids with me because I can't leave them with their dad."

The court heard that another note said: "I don't want to feel completely torn apart when I am taking the life of my own kids."

The note went on to state that she had taken alcohol and medication.

The court heard that the defendant told the police she had no memory of writing the notes or what had happened to the children.

The jury was told that the prosecution case will be that the defendant intended to kill her children and was clear about what she was doing.

It was explained to the jury that they must decide if the defendant was suffering from an abnormality of mental function which caused her to harm the children, and substantially impaired her ability to make rational judgements and exercise self control.

The case continues.