General Chat

Her excuse, Depression! sorry I think It stinks!

Mother spared jail for baby death Wails said she had been tied up by masked intruders A mother who started a fire in which her four-month-old son died has been spared jail at Newcastle Crown Court. Danielle Wails had claimed she was tied up by intruders who started the fire at her Newcastle home in August 2005. She denied the murder of Alexander Gallon, but her guilty plea to infanticide was accepted after psychiatrists said she was depressed. The 22-year-old was given a three-year community order with a period of supervision and other requirements. On the first day of the trial at Newcastle Crown Court in August, Wails' guilty plea to the lesser charge of infanticide was accepted by the prosecution. Paul Sloan QC, prosecuting, said: 'She has admitted infanticide on the basis that at the time the balance of her mind was disturbed by reason of not having fully recovered from the effects of giving birth to the child. 'Two psychiatrists are of the opinion that the balance of her mind was disturbed.'

Murder is murder...She should be locked up... I suffered depression (and another serious illness) after giving birth to my daughter... NEVER once did i take it out on her though....! Some people shouldnt have kids... LOU XXXXXXXX

So let me get this right, she suffers from depresson, sets her house on fire and kills her baby- and she didn't go to jail. total justice there then. catherine xx

Oh, and as i read it, she had enough of her mind to know what she had done was wrong, and tried to cover it up....! LOU XXX

Lou,My just my point:-)) P.N.D can be awful, but to me this is not P.N.D, she must have other deeper Issues, she should be In a secure prison unit until properly treated.

If she was suffering from post puerperal psychosis there would be no rationality to her actions. Schizophrenia is a remote dreamy state in which a mother's thoughts and feelings are muddled. She may believe that everything that happens around her, is in some special way connected with her. She may hear voices talking to or about her and her baby, and believe that her baby is strange - a changeling, or the devil, or even a new Messiah. She may feel that she is under the influence of others who may wish her good or harm. This mixture of muddled thinking and strange ideas can make it difficult for other people to make sense of what she says. She may neglect her baby, or do odd things with it, or she may be fiercely protective, shielding it from people whom she thinks want to harm it. These different forms of mental illness sometimes merge or replace each other - mania may be followed by depression, or schizophrenia may have manic or depressive features. I had a friend who suffered with this and yes she did try to harm her baby - thankfully it was picked up on, she was hospitalised and treated successfully - she is now a caring fabulous mother of a 3 year old. Her behaviour was TOTALLY out of character - she was severely ill and although she is now cured she lives daily with the guilt of her actions due to this illness.

Where did my post go? did someone complain about it? ooeeerrr how odd!

Gillie,I do understand PND,Personally I have never suffered with it butI have seen it In friends and my Sister-In-Law who was actually sectioned because of it. I still think she knew what she was doing, how could she make up a story to try and cover her steps,if she wasnt fully aware of her actions.,that does not sound like P.N.D,it sounds like premeditated murder.

Hi Gillie,Not me,Ive just answered you. Thats odd,Why would someone complain about it,its A debate!

Oh the British Legal system works wonderfully again..... NOT!! She was competant enough to know she did wrong as she tried to cover up the truth.... this hardly says 'I'm sick and need your help' does it? She MURDERED someone in a cruel and vicious way and should be punished!! Imagine what that poor baby went through in the last minutes of its life!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh dear I refreshed the page and it had gone! I can't re-add it as I can't remember exactly what I'd said, never mind, but it makes you look like your talking to yourself Rox lol. Gillie.

Gillie,Dont worry,Im use to talking to myself!!lol;-))

If you wanted to kill your baby surely you wouldn't set fire to a settee with the baby on it. A much easier way would be to put a pillow over its face. This was not the act of a rational person. PND in its milder forms is bad enough but to have suffered as this woman did must have been horrendous. She will have to live with what she did all her life. She will never be able to work with children in any way and I would assume if she did bear another child it would be taken from her by social services. Punishment enough I would have thought for someone suffering from a recogized illness. Jean.

Is talking to yourself the first sign of madness or is that itchy palms lol ?

Itchy and Hairy Palms:-)) Not got either yet,watch this space!lol

Jean,Why would she try to cover her steps? I could understand and believe it more if this had not happened. Surely If your mentally ill this would not happen.

Rox I will lend you my palm brush lol ;o)

Gillie,Thanks!lol ill let you know when I need it;-))

I agree with you Roxanne, apparently she's not allowed to work with children again, but whats to stop her having another baby? Heres hoping she doesn't. Heather x