A teaching assistant who drowned her two-year-old daughter in a pond while suffering from postpartum psychosis has been jailed for four years. Alice Mackey, 42, killed Annabel on a common in Kingsley, Hampshire, in September 2023.
Winchester Crown Court heard Mackey believed she was a bad mother and that killing her child was an act of mercy. She initially claimed Annabel had been abducted but later admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.
Mr Justice Saini said it was a 'tragic case' and that Mackey was remorseful. He sentenced her to four years minus 216 days already served, adding: 'There are no winners in these situations.'
Mackey's barrister, Patrick Gibbs KC, said she had suffered five years of miscarriages and IVF before Annabel's birth. 'She couldn't have loved anyone more than she loved Annabel but motherhood did for her,' he said.
Annabel's father described his torment and guilt in a victim statement, saying her future had been 'stolen'. Mackey, diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, had been detained under the Mental Health Act before the killing.
In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. The mental health charity Mind can be reached on 0300 123 3393.
