Depressed British mother cooked baby on stove

LONDON - A depressed British mother who cooked her three-week-old baby son on a stove needs treatment not jail, a judge decided after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Cheryl Green, 40, who had a long history of mental illness, admitted she had burnt baby Mickle to death after becoming confused and claiming she had heard voices telling her to do it.

She admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after her 'not guilty' plea was accepted by London's Old Bailey criminal court.

"This is not a case where the public interest requires punishment. What you need is treatment," Judge Christopher Moss said.

Green had suffered from a schizo-affective disorder which caused her to hear voices and become depressed since 1985, the court heard.

She could also suffer outbursts of violence and had been admitted to hospital on seven previous occasions.

The court heard the baby's death occurred on April 22 last year. Green, who was completely naked, woke her neighbour at 3am by banging on her door, saying she had locked herself out.

As the neighbour drove Green to her mother's house, she blurted out: "I burnt the baby. I burnt the baby."

They returned to Green's home and found Mickle, who was born prematurely and was said to be no bigger than an adult's hand, lying on the floor in front of the oven with the main gas ring turned up on high.

"I put the baby on the fire. I burnt him on the stove. I got confused," Green said.

Despite suffering 90 per cent burns to his body, doctors and paramedics managed to keep the boy alive for nine hours. The incident was so horrific that paramedics had to be given counselling for the emotional trauma they suffered.

Green's lawyer David Fisher said a number of agencies who cared for her had visited her in the days before the incident but there had been mixed views about her condition.

Moss called for those responsible for caring for Green to review their procedures to see if they were adequate.

He ordered that she be put into the "guardianship" of Southwark Council in London where she will be supervised in a care home.

- REUTERS