A 67-year-old stepmother has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a five-year-old girl she forced into a scalding bath as a punishment in 1978. Janice Nix, from Clapham, south London, was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of killing Andrea Bernard in Thornton Heath.
Andrea's death was initially treated as an accident until her older brother, Desmond Bernard, now 56, approached police in 2022 with a new account. He told the court he had lied about the incident because he feared further beatings from Nix, who he said regularly beat him with a belt, burned him with a cigarette, bit him, and made him eat cat food.
On June 6, 1978, Nix was furious after Andrea ignored instructions not to leave the house. The court heard Nix shouted at Andrea in an extremely loud voice before beating her and forcing her into a bath. Mr Bernard testified: 'I could hear Janice shouting 'get in the bath' and I could hear Andrea saying 'the bath is too hot mummy'.' He then heard screaming and splashing before silence, and Nix calling Andrea to wake up.
Andrea died nearly six weeks after arriving at hospital with burns to 50% of her body. A burns expert said a child exposed to such hot water would instinctively try to stand up, suggesting Nix forcibly held Andrea underwater. Nix initially claimed Andrea had taken a bath alone, but later admitted giving a false account to the coroner, saying she was 'in a panic' over failing to supervise.
Nix was also found guilty of cruelty to Desmond Bernard between 1975 and 1978. She shook her head and wept in the dock as the verdicts were read. Sentencing is expected to follow.
