Mum who murdered son by poisoning him with antidepressants jailed for life

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A mum who murdered her five-year-old son by poisoning him with antidepressants has been jailed for life.Claire Scanlon's son Dylan was found unresponsive at their home on Elm Road in Limeside, Oldham on New Year's Eve, 2021.

Emergency services attended, but the youngster was tragically pronounced dead at the scene, Manchester Evening News reports.A toxicology report found he had nine times the fatal adult dose of antidepressants in his system, with his cause of death ruled as poisoning.

He also had over 60 bruises to his body, 30 of which were to his head and neck.A police investigation later found that Scanlon had sent several 'angry' voicemails to her ex-partner, Dylan's dad Gary Keenan, in which she accused him of leaving her for another woman while she struggled to live 'emotionally, practically and financially' as a single mum.Prosecutors said the 38-year-old was 'very angry and depressed' after their relationship ended.

In one voicemail, she said: "I promise you, you won't see him again. You'll see. Bye. Go and enjoy your life.""You decided to take him away from everyone who loved him," Justice Amanda Yip said. "That was a selfish decision to hurt those you were angry with."Scanlon failed to attend her sentencing hearing after refusing to get out of bed at her psychiatric hospital.