Mother denies scalding her son, 5

A mother has denied throwing boiling water over her five-year-old son 11 years ago.

The woman, 35, told Cardiff Crown Court she had been about to pour water over an ants' nest when she accidentally lost control of the kettle.

Her son, now 16, who suffered 21% burns, has previously told the court she had tipped the water over him.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies causing grievous bodily harm. The trial continues.

She said she had had the boiled kettle in one hand and ant powder in the other, when she heard her son and two-year-old daughter coming into the kitchen.

She said: "As I turned around he was behind me.

"I don't know if it was his chest I caught, but I hit something with my wrist and the kettle would have come out of my hand."

She said her son had run into the living room, and she had noticed water on her daughter's hair, but it was not hot.

She told the court that "seconds later" when she saw her son with his top "steaming wet", she ran to the front door and called for help.

When asked why she had told the hospital the boy had pulled the kettle on top of himself while playing Power Rangers she replied: "I was scared of losing my baby. I was terrified he would be taken off me."

She denied that she had said "I don't know" when asked by the boy's father in 2004 why she did it.

When asked how she felt about what happened that day, the woman replied: "I hate myself."