A mother who murdered her one-year-old son by spiking his baby bottles with a lethal cocktail of prescription medication has been sentenced to life in prison. Emma Barnett, 36, of Debden, Essex, was ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday.
The court heard that Barnett poisoned her son, Oakley, to prevent social services from taking him into care. A family court hearing scheduled for November 8, 2024, was set to order Oakley's removal from her custody. Five of her older children had already been removed due to her inability to care for them.
On the day of the hearing, Barnett collected prescriptions for the antidepressant mirtazapine and the sedative antihistamine promethazine—medications she later admitted she was not taking. She drove to Epping Forest and abandoned her car to give the impression she was missing, then walked back home. She joined the remote court hearing with her camera off while hiding in the loft, where she had pre-stocked supplies. She mixed lethal doses of medication into milk and juice in Oakley's bottles and a syringe.
Police and social workers launched a massive search after Barnett's car was found abandoned. Shortly before midnight, officers heard a baby crying from the loft. An officer attempted to negotiate, but at 12.16am on November 9, Barnett said, 'I killed him.' Police forced entry and found Oakley unresponsive and Barnett with self-inflicted injuries. Oakley died in hospital on December 31.
Barnett denied murder but was convicted by a jury. Sentencing, Mr Justice Derek Sweeting said he considered it possible that Barnett decided if she could not have Oakley, no one else could. He noted her personality disorder but stated the killing was driven by malice. Oakley's father, Jake Rose, said in a victim impact statement: 'I'm never going to see my little boy grow up.'
