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| Paris Mayo jailed for murder of newborn son | Paris Mayo jailed for murder of newborn son |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| During the trial, jurors heard Paris Mayo was used to being around children and had trained in childcare | During the trial, jurors heard Paris Mayo was used to being around children and had trained in childcare |
| A 19-year-old who murdered her newborn son hours after giving birth has been jailed for at least 12 years. | A 19-year-old who murdered her newborn son hours after giving birth has been jailed for at least 12 years. |
| A trial heard Paris Mayo, then 15, suffocated the boy, Stanley, by stuffing cotton wool into his mouth and throat. | A trial heard Paris Mayo, then 15, suffocated the boy, Stanley, by stuffing cotton wool into his mouth and throat. |
| Mayo delivered him alone at her family home in Ross-on-Wye, in March 2019, while her parents were upstairs. | Mayo delivered him alone at her family home in Ross-on-Wye, in March 2019, while her parents were upstairs. |
| "Killing your baby son was a truly dreadful thing to do," said the judge, Mr Justice Garnham, passing sentence. | "Killing your baby son was a truly dreadful thing to do," said the judge, Mr Justice Garnham, passing sentence. |
| Warning: This article contains distressing content. | Warning: This article contains distressing content. |
| The trial heard she had assaulted Stanley, leaving him with injuries comparable to those seen in a car crash. | The trial heard she had assaulted Stanley, leaving him with injuries comparable to those seen in a car crash. |
| "How you did this is not clear, but I suspect you crushed his head, probably beneath your foot," the judge told Mayo. | "How you did this is not clear, but I suspect you crushed his head, probably beneath your foot," the judge told Mayo. |
| Her initial assault caused him "serious damage", but did not kill him, the judge added. | |
| "He remained alive. You decided you had to finish Stanley off by stuffing cotton wool balls into his throat." | "He remained alive. You decided you had to finish Stanley off by stuffing cotton wool balls into his throat." |
| The newborn was found by Mayo's mother the day after his birth, dumped in a bin bag left on the doorstep. | The newborn was found by Mayo's mother the day after his birth, dumped in a bin bag left on the doorstep. |
| It was her who alerted emergency services in an emotional 999 call played to the jury. | It was her who alerted emergency services in an emotional 999 call played to the jury. |
| Mayo gave birth alone at the family home on 23 March 2019 | Mayo gave birth alone at the family home on 23 March 2019 |
| Mayo had claimed she did not know she was pregnant, also telling the court of her difficult family life and her father who had made her feel "worthless". | Mayo had claimed she did not know she was pregnant, also telling the court of her difficult family life and her father who had made her feel "worthless". |
| In her testimony she described how she started having sex at 13 and used it as a way to get people to like her, because she was "insecure" due to her family situation. | |
| The court heard her father Patrick Mayo had been upstairs on dialysis treatment with Mayo's mother at the time of Stanley's birth. | |
| The aspiring midwife who killed her newborn son | The aspiring midwife who killed her newborn son |
| "A human being is probably never more vulnerable than at the time of their birth," Mr Justice Garnham said during sentencing. | "A human being is probably never more vulnerable than at the time of their birth," Mr Justice Garnham said during sentencing. |
| "You had decided you could no longer allow him to live," he said. | |
| "You did nothing to prepare yourself for giving birth. You were frightened and traumatised by this event. | |
| "I have no doubt it was painful and overwhelming for you." | |
| 'Isolating and frightening' | |
| Defence barrister Bernard Richmond KC described Mayo as a "pathetic and vulnerable individual" who had not been supported by people around her. | |
| "When faced with a decision she had to make, she did not face up to it. By the time she had to, the decision she made was woefully, woefully wrong," he said. | |
| "This will, in every sense of the word, be a life sentence. It will be a lonely, isolating and frightening time for her." | |
| The jury were given the option to consider an alternative verdict of infanticide if they believed she killed Stanley while the balance of her mind was disturbed. | The jury were given the option to consider an alternative verdict of infanticide if they believed she killed Stanley while the balance of her mind was disturbed. |
| Mayo's trial was told she had a difficult family life and started having sex at 13 so people would like her | |
| However, Mayo, of Ruardean in Gloucestershire, cried in the dock on Friday as jurors delivered a majority guilty verdict on the charge of murder. | However, Mayo, of Ruardean in Gloucestershire, cried in the dock on Friday as jurors delivered a majority guilty verdict on the charge of murder. |
| A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said the case had been both "tragic and complex". | A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said the case had been both "tragic and complex". |
| Stanley's "short life was filled with pain and suffering when he should have been nurtured and loved". | Stanley's "short life was filled with pain and suffering when he should have been nurtured and loved". |
| "[Mayo] chose to hide her pregnancy, give birth alone and kill her baby, then hide his body, despite accepting that she had a family who would have supported her." | "[Mayo] chose to hide her pregnancy, give birth alone and kill her baby, then hide his body, despite accepting that she had a family who would have supported her." |
| If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, help and support is available via BBC Action Line. | If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, help and support is available via BBC Action Line. |
| Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk | Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Ruardean | Ruardean |
| Ross on Wye | Ross on Wye |