Mother Admits Killing Severely Autistic Son
I don't know if anybody has posted this yet.
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A mother has admitted killing her severely autistic son, but denies murder, a jury has heard.
Yvonne Freaney, 49, strangled 11-year-old Glen Freaney with her coat belt as he lay on a bed in their hotel room nearly a year ago, Cardiff Crown Court was told.
She then lay down beside him and attempted to take her own life, the jury heard.
Police found the child's body in a room at the Sky Plaza Hotel in Rhoose, near Cardiff, on May 15, 2010.
His mother, from Penarth, a few miles southwest of the city, was taken to hospital by ambulance with cuts to her wrists, arms and legs.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Greg Taylor QC said: "This is going to be a difficult case, difficult because the charge against Mrs Freaney is that she murdered her 11-year-old son Glen Freaney.
"He was a young boy who suffered from very severe autism."
The jury was told that Mrs Freaney pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter and admits unlawfully killing her son, but denies murder.
Mr Taylor said: "The defence case will be that at the time Mrs Freaney was suffering such abnormality of mind as to substantially diminish her responsibility for the offence.
"This is commonly referred to as 'diminished responsibility'.
"However, it is our contention that this is a straightforward case of murder and that is the correct verdict."
Mrs Freaney, sitting quietly in the dock with her head bowed throughout, listened as members of the jury were asked to approach the evidence dispassionately, not emotionally.
Mrs Freaney denies murder and the trial continues.
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To be honest, this sort of thing makes me feel sick. Yes, autistic children can be hard to deal with, but so can any other child. And I hate that people always start bleating on about how hard it is to raise an autistic child, as though that makes it more acceptable for the parent to snap and commit murder.
I just... ugh.
~~~~~
A mother has admitted killing her severely autistic son, but denies murder, a jury has heard.
Yvonne Freaney, 49, strangled 11-year-old Glen Freaney with her coat belt as he lay on a bed in their hotel room nearly a year ago, Cardiff Crown Court was told.
She then lay down beside him and attempted to take her own life, the jury heard.
Police found the child's body in a room at the Sky Plaza Hotel in Rhoose, near Cardiff, on May 15, 2010.
His mother, from Penarth, a few miles southwest of the city, was taken to hospital by ambulance with cuts to her wrists, arms and legs.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Greg Taylor QC said: "This is going to be a difficult case, difficult because the charge against Mrs Freaney is that she murdered her 11-year-old son Glen Freaney.
"He was a young boy who suffered from very severe autism."
The jury was told that Mrs Freaney pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter and admits unlawfully killing her son, but denies murder.
Mr Taylor said: "The defence case will be that at the time Mrs Freaney was suffering such abnormality of mind as to substantially diminish her responsibility for the offence.
"This is commonly referred to as 'diminished responsibility'.
"However, it is our contention that this is a straightforward case of murder and that is the correct verdict."
Mrs Freaney, sitting quietly in the dock with her head bowed throughout, listened as members of the jury were asked to approach the evidence dispassionately, not emotionally.
Mrs Freaney denies murder and the trial continues.
~~~~~
To be honest, this sort of thing makes me feel sick. Yes, autistic children can be hard to deal with, but so can any other child. And I hate that people always start bleating on about how hard it is to raise an autistic child, as though that makes it more acceptable for the parent to snap and commit murder.
I just... ugh.