BBC News Online: UK

Mother's screams in baby killer case

Muriel Jongen, 36, had listened to nearly an hour of psychiatric and psychological evaluation of her former nanny Louise Sullivan, 27, at the Old Bailey in London.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Henry Kennedy was saying he believed Sullivan - who shook baby Caroline to death - had started to express grief and remorse when financial analyst Mrs Jongen began to scream.

With her hands to her face she rushed to the exit, followed by her City fund manager husband Marcel, 41, supporters and police.

Dr Kennedy had told the court Sullivan said "not a day goes by without her remembering baby Caroline. She thinks what she might be doing now if still alive.

"She dreams of her - they are emotionally comforting. Her grief and remorse are genuine. She has only recently started expressing these feelings."

The court, which was temporarily adjourned after the interruption, also heard that Sullivan has an IQ of 81 - well below the average of 100 - and should not have been allowed to look after Caroline.

Psychologist Sarah Henley said: "Miss Sullivan functions on a very concrete, rigid way.

"It is particularly related to judgement and particularly to inability to be flexible."

Sullivan's counsel, Nadine Radford, QC, said her client behaved inappropriately when she thought the baby was having a convulsion, but that it was not intentional.

Rather, she said, it was a result of Miss Sullivan not having the ability to reason clearly in such a situation.

"This is not a case of someone losing their temper or being angry or anything else," she said. "It is someone concerned to do the best they can."

The hearing on Monday follows Sullivan's guilty plea two weeks ago to the involuntary manslaughter of the six-month-old baby - who died of brain damage - at the family home in north London last year.

Three of Sullivan's former employers - called by the defence - praised her abilities as a nanny.

One, Australian journalist Marnie Lonsdale, said she had been happy to give Sullivan a reference. "I was happy to back the reference up. I said I thought her a good nanny but she would need direction.

"I never thought my children were concerned or unhappy with Louise."

The judge, Mr Justice Mitchell, adjourned sentencing until Tuesday.

He wants to consider various reports handed to the court for the first time on Monday.

Relevant Stories

'Confused' nanny sacked four times (19 Jan 99 | UK)
Nanny pleads guilty to manslaughter (18 Jan 99 | UK)
Nanny denies baby murder (01 Sep 98 | UK)

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