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Mother murdered disabled daughter | Mother murdered disabled daughter |
(21 minutes later) | |
A 32-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her four-year-old disabled daughter. | A 32-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her four-year-old disabled daughter. |
Joanne Hill admitted killing Naomi, whom she drowned in the bath, but denied murder due to diminished responsibility. | Joanne Hill admitted killing Naomi, whom she drowned in the bath, but denied murder due to diminished responsibility. |
Hill, of Connah's Quay, Flintshire, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years. | |
Chester Crown Court heard she murdered her daughter because she could not cope with her mild cerebral palsy. | Chester Crown Court heard she murdered her daughter because she could not cope with her mild cerebral palsy. |
During the two-week trial, the jury heard hard-drinking Hill was ashamed of Naomi's condition, which meant the little girl had to use callipers to help her walk. | |
Judge Elgan Edwards, the Recorder of Chester, told Hill there was no excuse for what she did. | |
You killed your own daughter because you could not cope with her disability. Judge Elgan Edwards | |
He said the aggravating features in the case were the vulnerability of Naomi and the breach of trust between a mother and daughter. | |
He said: "You killed your own daughter because you could not cope with her disability. | |
"You had other pressures upon you, a disintegrating marriage and you decided to kill your own daughter by drowning her." | |
Because of the murder conviction Hill will not return to a secure unit but go straight to prison, the judge said. | |
He commented on Hill's "sad" history of mental health problems and said he hoped she would be transferred back to hospital very soon. | |
Naomi suffered from mild cerebral palsy | |
He added: "This has been a very sad case. Sad for you, for your husband, for the child you killed. | |
"There can be no excuse for what you did." | |
On 26 November, 2007, Hill, who has a history of mental health problems, collected Naomi from a childminder and took her home. | On 26 November, 2007, Hill, who has a history of mental health problems, collected Naomi from a childminder and took her home. |
The court heard how Hill had run a bath, adding bubble bath and came down for a glass of wine. | The court heard how Hill had run a bath, adding bubble bath and came down for a glass of wine. |
When the bath was full she told Naomi she was having a bath. | When the bath was full she told Naomi she was having a bath. |
Hill put her daughter in the bath and drowned her by holding her head under the water for up to 10 minutes. | |
She then dressed the little girl and put her in her car with a bottle of wine before her husband returned home from work and drove around for eight hours. | She then dressed the little girl and put her in her car with a bottle of wine before her husband returned home from work and drove around for eight hours. |
The following day, Hill arrived at the Countess of Chester Hospital with her dead daughter in her arms, shouting for help. | The following day, Hill arrived at the Countess of Chester Hospital with her dead daughter in her arms, shouting for help. |
The court heard how it was unclear what Hill was doing in the eight hours leading up to her arrival at hospital with Naomi dead in her arms. | |
Police established she visited a petrol station at about 2330 BST that night and the jury were shown CCTV footage of her smiling and joking with the sales assistant. |