Janice Nix, a 67-year-old retired probation officer, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the manslaughter of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, in a scalding bath in 1978. The sentencing took place at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday.
Details of the Crime
The court heard that Nix ran a hot bath and forced Andrea to get in, despite the child's protests that it was too hot. The girl died from her injuries. The death was initially treated as an accident until Andrea's older brother, Desmond Bernard, approached police in 2022 with a new account of events.
Brother's Testimony
Desmond Bernard, now in his 50s, described years of abuse at the hands of Nix, including beatings with a belt and being forced to eat cat food. He said the abuse led to his sister's death and left him "broken."
In a victim impact statement, Mr. Bernard addressed Nix directly: "You took away her future and changed mine forever. Your contrived grief at Andrea's funeral, the lies, the tears. You fooled my family because they couldn't imagine the unimaginable."
Sentencing Remarks
Mr. Justice Nicholas Lavender told Nix: "I'm sure that you ran the bath, you knew how hot it was, you told Andrea to get in the bath, she said it was too hot, but you either put her in the bath or made her get into it. And you heard her screams. At the very least the risk ought to have been obvious to you."
Nix, who sat in the dock dressed in a white shirt and black blazer, cried throughout the hearing and wept loudly as the judge delivered his remarks. She was also sentenced for cruelty against Desmond Bernard between October 1975 and June 1978.
Mother's Statement
Prosecutor Kerry Broome read a statement from Angela Bernard, the mother of Andrea and Desmond, describing the little girl as "so sweet and loving."
This case highlights the long-lasting impact of child abuse and the importance of victims coming forward, even decades later.
