Carla Lovejoy, 54, attacked her severely disabled daughter, Isabella Lovejoy, 28, with a knife at the home they shared in Broadstairs, Kent before claiming she ‘had no choice’
A woman who knifed her severely disabled daughter up to 14 times has been put behind bars indefinitely. Carla Lovejoy, 54, assaulted 28 year old Isabella Lovejoy with a knife at their Broadstairs, Kent home on 20 March 2025.
The victim was stabbed between 12 and 14 times in the abdomen and chest, suffering “catastrophic injuries”, the Old Bailey was told. Her mother was discovered soaked in blood and clutching a knife, having inflicted superficial wounds upon herself.
She was heard uttering: “I done a terrible thing. I had no choice.”
Miss Lovejoy, who suffers from Rett syndrome, underwent life-saving treatment and spent three months in hospital before being placed into care. Without swift intervention, she would have lost her life, the court heard.
Lovejoy had been her sole carer and was described as a “devoted and loving” mother. She refused to engage with mental health services as her own condition worsened, fearing her daughter would be taken away from her, the court was informed.
The court heard that Lovejoy had experienced severe depression and psychotic symptoms, including delusions about human sacrifice and believing she was in a fairy tale or a participant in a game.
Following a trial in December, Lovejoy was convicted of attempted murder on the grounds that she knew her actions were wrong despite her mental illness.
On Thursday, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb sentenced Lovejoy at the Old Bailey to a hospital order with restrictions without limit of time for “the protection of the public from serious harm”.
The senior judge noted the harm caused to Miss Lovejoy was “grave”, saying she displayed stress to triggers such as the colour red and the word “mum”.
In a victim impact statement read to court, Lovejoy’s other daughter, Christina Roberts, said her mother’s actions had “torn our family apart”.
It was impossible to describe the effect of the attack on her sister because she was non-verbal, she said.
Ms Roberts struggled to understand what happened because her mother had been Miss Lovejoy’s “world” and they had an “amazing relationship”.
She described her “relief and guilt” when her sister was placed into care but said her sibling was now “thriving” and enjoyed “a good quality of life”.
Summarising her statement in court, prosecutor Laurence Imrie said: “She says Izzy did not just suffer harm, she lost her mother who was her constant and that relationship can never be repaired.
“She says she lived with anxiety the defendant will turn up at her or Izzy’s door and cause harm.”
In mitigation, Fiona Page KC said Lovejoy was “very different” now to how she was before “this terrible incident”.
“Her partner Bernard Broadley described her as a caring person who would not hurt a fly. Her care of Izzy was perfect,” Ms Page said. Lovejoy remained impassive as Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated that there was nothing she could say that would “undo the harm” she had inflicted.