Carer, who walked into river with two infants walks free from courtroom

A carer who walked into a freezing river with two babies and threatened to drown them before brave passers-by rushed to the rescue, walked free from court today.

Rhonda Micetich, 31, was suffering from ‘mental trauma’ and ‘wanted to end her life’ after receiving a letter from the Home Office alerting her to the expiration of her visa before the shocking incident, a court heard.   

The woman – who moved to the UK from India in 2021 – told by-passers not to rescue her and to just ‘just live your life and leave me here’ as she had ended up in the ‘worst situation’ and couldn’t ‘find any help from anyone’.

The ‘distressed’ carer and the two infants were rescued by members of the public who were praised by a judge was their ‘extraordinary’ bravery after two schoolgirls spotted the woman edging deeper into the water.

Today she was pictured walking free from Winchester Crown Court after she was handed a two year community order while the judge said the case exemplifies how ‘vulnerable’ those who take out visas and rely upon sponsors are.

Winchester Crown Court, Hants, heard on October 26 last year, Micetich entered the Itchen River, near the Cobden Bridge in Southampton, with two young children.

Prosecuting, Maria Karaiskos KC, said: ‘Members of the public saw the defendant carrying [the children] into the water up to their shoulder depth and heard her saying that she was going to kill herself and [the] children.

‘On the edge of the waters, the defendant left a suicide note which stated that she wanted to kill the children.’

The note was addressed ‘To all the higher officials!’, the court heard.

‘I don’t know any other way because I am in mental stress of my firm,’ Micetich wrote.

‘I don’t find any help from anyone. My husband will explain everything to all about the worst situation.’

It was heard that two 12-year-old schoolgirls witnessed Micetich going deeper into the water.

Ms Karaiskos KC said: ‘The schoolgirls saw the defendant proceed further into the water to her shoulder height, with the water up to the babies’ necks, although they noted that the defendant was keeping the babies heads up quite high.

‘They heard the babies screaming and sounding distressed.

‘The weather was cold that day and the babies were described as being really scared.’

Simon Ling, a member of the public, watched the events unfold and proceeded to grab a life ring and informed police officers that he would go into the water.

The bypasser was a ‘strong swimmer’ and was able to reach Micetich.

The prosecutor said one of the children was ‘shivering heavily’.

The carer passed the children – who are not identified for legal reasons – over to him and Mr Ling recalled Micetich saying ‘do not bother coming back for me’.

Terence Dyer, Simon Tipper and Samuel Liscoe noticed the police running towards a female in the water and decided to assist by slowly rowing a boat towards her.

Ms Karaiskos KC said: ‘They paddled out slowly across the water so as not to frighten the defendant who by this stage was stood in the middle of the river.

‘When they reached her, she no longer had the children with her.’

Mr Liscoe tried to speak to a ‘distressed’ Micetich who told him ‘You don’t need to rescue me, just live your life and leave me here’.

He said she was ‘discombobulated and stressed’ and in that moment, ‘not right in the head’.

The prosecutor told the court: ‘Mr Liscoe said to the defendant that this was a bad day but that it was not over, he was there to rescue her.’

Eventually, Mr Liscoe managed to get hold of her hand, pull her towards the boat and assist her in getting out of the water.

Mr Liscoe said the carer went into ‘immediate shock’ so he put her into recovery position. She was later arrested.

The carer told the emergency services that she had been suffering ‘mental trauma’.

At the hospital, Micetech told doctors she had received correspondence from the Home Office ‘unexpectedly’, regarding the expiry of her visa.

The prosecutor said: ‘Her stress levels increased and she could not face going through the visa application or losing her UK status.’

In later interviews, Micetech said her employer had told her she had to pay £20,000 for her sponsorship.

The carer received a visa in 2021 for two and a half years which she explained to her boss but he said if she did not give him the money – in cash – he would cancel her visa.

Micetech said she was being ‘threatened by blackmail’.

In September 2023, Micetech received an email from Home Office informing her that her employer had cancelled her sponsorship and that she had to return to India by 14th November 2023.

The carer pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect.

Sentencing Micetech, His Honour Judge P Dugdale said: ‘I want to tell you this straight away, you are not receiving a prison sentence today and you will be released from custody today.

‘You came to this country with your husband a few years ago and you came here having applied for a visa.

‘You came to undertake further education and you came here also to work and do an important job.’

Judge Dugdale said the occupation of a carer is an ‘important job’ and a role which ‘this country lacks’.

‘One of the matters that came comes out of this case is actually how vulnerable these people are who come to this country on visa’s with sponsorship,’ he said.

The judge said the carer was experiencing ‘pressure’ to pay her employer money.

‘That exemplifies how vulnerable people can be when they come to this country under a visa and rely upon a sponsorship,’ he added.

‘I don’t think it’s something that those who live in this country are proud of.’

Despite this, Judge Dugdale said Micetich could have easily ‘lost grip’ of the children who were ‘totally innocent and deserve to live their life in full’.

He highlighted how Micetech was suffering from ‘acute stress’ and a ‘moderate depressive episode’.

‘You did something that in other circumstances you would never have done,’ he said, ‘you decided the only exit strategy for you is to end your life.’

The judge commended the ‘brave and humane’ actions of the community – in particular Mr Dyer, Mr Ling and Mr Liscoe – who jumped to action on the day last year.

Judge Dugdale wrote: ‘The behaviour and the reaction of the community around the Cobden Bridge on the 26th of October was extraordinary.

‘The behaviour that all of us would hope for from members of the community.’

He said the actions were ‘highly commendable so far as the court is concerned’.