A series of shocking cases involving mothers who committed horrific crimes against their children have left the Midlands community in disbelief
Coventry: The Midlands is still reeling from some truly shocking crimes committed by mothers. These women, who should have been nurturing their kids, instead took their lives.
In recent years, several of these heartbreaking cases have led to prison sentences for the mothers involved. One case that stands out is a mother who killed her ten-year-old daughter while she slept.
Among these tragic stories is Jin Xin Teo, a Coventry University student who hid her newborn baby in a cereal box and then in a bag. Let’s take a look at some of the cases that have come before the courts recently.
Jia Xin Teo, just 22, gave birth to a full-term baby on March 4 but hid her pregnancy. She placed the baby in a cereal box, then in a plastic bag, and finally in a suitcase.
Sadly, when police found the baby two days later, it was too late. Teo, who came from Malaysia to study in the UK, claimed she heard voices telling her to kill the baby. But the jury didn’t buy it and convicted her of murder.
In October, she was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 17 years to serve.
Then there’s Jaskirat Kang, who killed her ten-year-old daughter, Shay, while she was sleeping. This happened at their home on March 4. Jaskirat called the emergency services to report Shay’s death.
When the police arrived, they arrested her after she confessed to stabbing her daughter. A post-mortem showed Shay had been stabbed multiple times. Jaskirat pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and was sent to a secure facility.
Another case is Paris Mayo, who was just 15 when she suffocated her newborn son hours after giving birth. She did this by stuffing cotton wool into his throat.
Paris had the baby at home while her parents were upstairs. The court heard that she had hurt her son, leaving him with injuries like those seen in a car crash. She claimed she didn’t know she was pregnant and talked about her tough family life during the trial. Still, the jury found her guilty of murder.
Now 20, she was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison.
Then there’s Laura Heath, who neglected her seven-year-old son, leading to his death from an asthma attack. The judge called it a “needless, tragic” result of her failure as a mother.
Hakeem Hussain was found dead in the garden of their home in November 2017. Laura had been using heroin the night before and didn’t manage her son’s asthma properly. She was sentenced to 20 years for gross negligence manslaughter.
Finally, we have Carla Scott, who was found guilty of the manslaughter of her nine-year-old son, Alfie Steele. He had 50 injuries on his body from beatings and other cruel punishments.
Alfie died after police were called to their home in Droitwich in February 2021. Carla was sentenced to 27 years in prison for manslaughter and child cruelty, while her partner received a longer sentence for murder.
