A mother who admitted killing her eight-week-old baby son and attempting to murder his two-year-old sister is due to be sentenced next week.
The 34-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Belfast Crown Court to infanticide in relation to the death of her baby and attempted murder of her surviving child.
The case relates to a violent incident at a home in Northern Ireland in July 2021.
Emergency services found both children suffering from serious stab wounds.
The eight-week-old boy was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries.
His two-year-old sister suffered life-threatening injuries but survived following urgent medical treatment.
The woman was originally convicted of murder and attempted murder in 2023 and received a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years.
Those convictions were subsequently ruled unsafe by the Court of Appeal, which ordered that she face a retrial.
At a recent hearing at Belfast Crown Court, prosecutors accepted a plea of infanticide in relation to the baby’s death alongside her guilty plea to the attempted murder of the surviving child.
Infanticide can apply where a biological mother causes the death of her child, aged under 12 months, while the balance of her mind is disturbed as a consequence of giving birth.
The prosecution said the decision to accept the revised plea took account of evidence concerning the woman’s mental health and a coercively controlling relationship.
A strict reporting restriction remains in place to protect the identity of the surviving child, meaning the defendant cannot be identified publicly.
The woman remains in custody and is due to return to court next week for sentencing.
The judge is expected to consider psychiatric evidence alongside the circumstances surrounding the offences before determining her sentence.
