Mother who used heroin to kill her son launches appeal

Thomas Inglis suffered severe head injuries in 2007

A mother jailed for life for murdering her disabled son by injecting him with heroin at a care home is to appeal against the sentence and conviction.

Frances Inglis, 57, of Dagenham, Essex, denied murdering Thomas Inglis, 22, on 21 November 2008 and an earlier attempt to kill him on 4 September 2007.

But a jury at the Old Bailey found her guilty of both charges on Wednesday.

Solicitor, Katie Wheatley, criticised the sentence and verdict saying Inglis had been moved by "pure love".

"We and Mrs Inglis are extremely disappointed at the verdicts and sentence imposed," said Ms Wheatley.

"Both are utterly at odds with the fact that Mrs Inglis was moved to help her son by pure love and compassion.

"We are now working on appeals against conviction and sentence which will be lodged at the Court of Appeal in the shortest possible time."

'Mercy killing'

The trial jury reached their verdicts by a majority of 10 to two after deliberating for more than six hours.

Before the jury retired, Judge Brian Barker told them "there is no concept in law of mercy killing - it is still killing".

The court heard Inglis told a nurse she had HIV while at her son's home

Mr Inglis suffered brain damage when he fell out of an ambulance in July 2007.

During the trial Inglis said: "For Tom to live that living hell - I couldn't leave my child like that."

Inglis said she was convinced the doctor treating her son at Queens Hospital in Romford, Essex, was lying about his chances of recovery.

Following the first murder attempt in September 2007, Mr Inglis was moved to the Gardens nursing home in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire.

On 11 November that year Inglis broke a ban on visiting and gave her son the fatal dose of heroin.