A woman from Co Cork has been given a seven-year suspended sentence for the manslaughter of her eight-year-old son.
Diane Ward of Harrison’s Place, Charleville, smothered her son Anthony at their home in the early hours of September 3rd 2012.
According to RTÉ News, the 44-year-old attempted to take her own life and left a note asking that they be buried together. The court heard that Ms Ward feared that there would be nobody to look after her son if she took her own life.
Mr Justice Barry White described the case as “particularly tragic” before saying that Ms Ward, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was “quite clearly troubled mentally” when she took her son’s life.
As part of the conditions of her seven-year suspended sentence, Ms Ward will be moved from the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum to a mental health facility in Cork where she will reside as a voluntary patient.
She is to remain there until doctors consider it appropriate for her to return to the community. After that, she will have to abide by a regime and remain in contact with probation and welfare services.
