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Child-murders mother Fiona Donnison jailed for life | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A mother found guilty of murdering her two young children has been sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in prison. | |
Fiona Donnison, 45, of Lightwater, Surrey, had denied the murder of Harry, aged three, and two-year-old Elise, in a trial at Lewes Crown Court. | Fiona Donnison, 45, of Lightwater, Surrey, had denied the murder of Harry, aged three, and two-year-old Elise, in a trial at Lewes Crown Court. |
Their bodies were found in holdalls in the boot of Donnison's car, near the former family home in East Sussex. | |
Donnison was jailed for life, with a minimum tariff of 32 years, following the killings in January 2010. | |
Judge Mr Justice Nicol described the murders as "deliberate and wicked acts". | |
He said: "The premature end of such young lives would have been a tragedy, but this was no accident. | |
"You killed them, you who were their mother. Why you did this defies logical explanation. | |
"It seems it can only have something to do with your feelings for Paul Donnison, the children's father and your former partner." | |
'Ultimate pawns' | 'Ultimate pawns' |
Donnison leaned forward against the wall of the dock with her head bowed as she was given two life sentences. | |
Earlier, she chose to stay in the cells as the jury returned its unanimous verdict. | |
Jurors heard claims Donnison, a former City worker, used the children as the "ultimate pawns", in her vendetta against their father. | |
Prosecutors told the court she smothered the children with their bedding before putting their bodies in the car. | Prosecutors told the court she smothered the children with their bedding before putting their bodies in the car. |
Ms Donnison declined to give evidence herself during the trial. | Ms Donnison declined to give evidence herself during the trial. |
But the defence argued she had suffered from depression at the time and said the charges should be reduced to manslaughter. | But the defence argued she had suffered from depression at the time and said the charges should be reduced to manslaughter. |
Jurors heard from mental health professionals who said she swallowed a blade from a pencil sharpener earlier this year, could not remember events surrounding the deaths and could not bring herself to say the children's names. |