The mother of a one-year-old child from Essex has been sentenced to life imprisonment after administering a lethal combination of prescribed medications to the infant via a baby bottle.
Emma Barnett, 36, orchestrated the poisoning of her son Oakley, 14 months old, prior to a family court hearing that mandated his removal from her care. The judge, Mr. Justice Derek Sweeting, stated during the Cambridge Crown Court proceedings that Barnett had planned to attend the court via remote connection on November 8, 2024.
Before the hearing, Barnett led investigators on a false investigation by leaving her home and claiming she had visited a friend’s residence, followed by a trip to Epping Forest. In reality, she remained at her Debden, Essex, address, hiding in the loft with Oakley. During this time, she added sedative antihistamine promethazine and antidepressant mirtazapine to the child’s milk and juice.
The court heard that social workers and law enforcement attempted to locate Barnett immediately after the court’s decision to remove Oakley. Her vehicle was discovered in Epping Forest, prompting an aerial search using a helicopter and trained police dogs.
Officers reached her home just before midnight and reported hearing Oakley crying from the loft. An officer attempted to de-escalate the situation, but at 12:16 AM on November 9, 2024, Barnett confessed to having killed her son. Police immediately forced entry and found Oakley unresponsive. Barnett was also found to have attempted self-harm.
Oakley was pronounced dead at the hospital on December 31, 2024. During sentencing, Mr. Justice Sweeting described the act as the murder of a “very young and vulnerable child wholly dependent on you brought about by your deliberate actions.” He emphasized that he was “certain Barnett had set about planning her own death in advance.”
The judge acknowledged Barnett’s “recognized mental health disorder” and noted that her five older children had already been removed from her care. Defense lawyer Jonathan Higgs KC stated that the five children were taken into custody because Barnett was “unable to look after them herself” and highlighted her prior good character.
Barnett had denied charges of murder but was found guilty in a previous trial. The court proceedings concluded with her receiving a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years.
