Woman guilty of murdering her child

13/08/2010

A Stockport woman was today found guilty of the murder of her three-year-old daughter in an act described by prosecutors as "vindictive" and "spiteful".

During the eight-day trial at Manchester Crown Court, the jury heard how Helen Caudwell, 42, of Redwood Close, Cheadle Heath, had constructed a 'double life' for herself, telling both her husband, Miles Kennerley, and another man they were the father of her daughter, Bethany.

During Autumn 2009, Caudwell was in the process of divorcing Mr Kennerley which resulted in a series of rows about access to Bethany. At some stage during the night of 2 October with just her and Bethany alone in the house she used the child's toy to suffocate the toddler.

David Harley, reviewing lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "At her own instigation, Helen Caudwell's life had become a web of lies and deception with her deliberately and calculatedly misleading the men in both her and Bethany's life.

"When it appeared that she might lose some control of events in her life by having to provide Mr Kennerley access to Bethany, she made a most appalling and tragic decision.

"As shocking as it is, Helen Caudwell knew exactly what she was doing when she killed her three-year-old daughter. It was a vindictive and spiteful act and is beyond comprehension.

"Caudwell continued to lie in the aftermath of murdering her daughter, saying that she couldn't recall what happened but suggested that she might have rolled onto Bethany during the night and suffocated her.

"The jury has seen through those lies and, today, Helen Caudwell has been brought to account for her crime."