Nurse, 39, who tried to kill each her youngsters after her husband confessed to having an affair is jailed
A nurse who tried to kill herself and both her children after her husband confessed to having an affair has been jailed for 16 years.
The 39-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stockpiled drugs at her home in Uckfield, East Sussex, after her husband left to be with his mistress.
One evening last February, she tucked herself and her two children into her bed gave them a cocktail of strong tablets, telling them to take them one by one.
As well as strong painkillers, they also took anti-depressants and sleeping tablets.
The woman, who worked as a nurse, then left a voicemail to her brother who immediately raised the alarm.
Police, paramedics and the fire service scrambled to their home where they found a 10-year-old boy lying on a vomit-covered bed with his eyes wide open. He was initially presumed to be dead.
Paramedics found his 13-year-old sister wandering around in a ‘dazed and confused’ state.
Their mother was conscious but slurring her words and they were all rushed to hospital where they received emergency treatment. All three later made a full recovery.
The woman sobbed in court today as she was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of two counts attempted murder.
Sentencing Judge Christine Laing KC said the mother had been ‘obsessed’ with presenting herself as the perfect mother and wife in a perfect family unit.
The 39-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stockpiled drugs at her home in Uckfield, East Sussex, after her husband left to be with his mistress (Pictured: a general view of Uckfield)
But she said the breakdown of the marriage had caused her ‘despair and rage’ and she decided to try to take her life and those of her children as a way of getting revenge.
She said: ‘I am satisfied your own sense of being wronged and your concern about your standing in the eyes of your family, friends and local community was far outweighed your concern for your children.
‘You tried to end the lives of your two children to punish [your husband], a terrible selfish reaction which you still fail to see the seriousness of.’
Judge Laing sentenced the woman to 16 years for each offence to be served concurrently.
The woman had become depressed after her husband announced he had been having an affair, Lewes Crown Court heard.
He left the family home in Uckfield earlier this year and then left the country to be with his mistress.
The woman was extremely upset by the breakdown on the marriage and had become depressed.
The jury heard that on February 7 last year the woman had gathered medication from around the house and spoke to the children at teatime about her plan.
The woman had become depressed after her husband announced he had been having an affair, Lewes Crown Court heard
Amy Packham, prosecuting, said: ‘She told the police that she had decided she could not live without him and so had decided to commit suicide.’
‘She had realised she could not physically kill her children and so she had decided that they should all take tablets so that they would all die together.’
She recorded and sent a voicemail to her brother, who lived abroad, which said her husband had been having an affair and had left the family.
Miss Packham told the court: ‘The defendant said on the message: “The reason why I had to end my and my children’s lives is because of these people.”
‘She said “My children are very smart and intelligent but because of those two we are going to commit suicide”.’
She then put a large amount of tablets on a tray on her bed and then at around midnight they began taking the tablets in bed.
Ms Packham said: ‘She had told the police she told the children: “We can have more and more medication until we die”.’
At one point her son fell asleep and, concerned he may only have taken enough drugs to make him fall asleep, she woke him and got him to take some more.
When her daughter was sick, her mother was worried she might have vomited the pills and so asked her take some more tablets.
Responding to an emergency call, paramedics arrived at the house at around 6am on February 8 and, after forcing entry, found the family.
Paramedic, James Punchard, went upstairs where he found the daughter standing just outside of one of the bedrooms.
Ms Packham said: ‘She appeared confused and dazed. He went into the room and found two people on the bed, the boy who initially appeared to him to be dead as he had his eyes open and was not visibly breathing and the defendant who was slumped over the top of him.’
The court heard [the boy] was treated on the bed before being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
‘Mr Punchard asked [the daughter] if she had been given tablets and she nodded.
‘He asked if her mother had given her the tablets and she nodded again. She was taken downstairs to be taken to hospital in an ambulance. She was unsteady on her feet and as she was being taken downstairs was sick into the kitchen sink.’
After they had been treated in hospital both children were asked questions by a police officer and said they had been given the tablets by their mother.
The court heard when she was arrested for the attempted murder of both of her children the mother said: ‘I didn’t force them’.
Ms Packham said the level both children had suffered ‘psychological harm’ which was ‘severe and ongoing’ and they would have to live the rest of their lives knowing their mother had tried to kill them.
In mitigation, George Payne, defending, said the defendant was suffering from a depressive episode which affected her judgement and ability to think clearly.
He said she fully understood the seriousness of the offences and the pain it had caused.
