A mother who drowned her two young sons in the bath at their East London home has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 21 years and 252 days.
Kara Alexander, 47, of Cornwallis Road in Dagenham, was convicted of murdering her children — five-year-old Marley Thomas and two-year-old Elijah Thomas — in a harrowing case that has shocked the capital.
The bodies of the two boys were discovered by their father on the morning of 16 December 2022. Concerned after receiving no replies to his messages and calls, he arrived at the family home, where Alexander told him the children were “upstairs sleeping.” Instead, he found their lifeless bodies dressed in pyjamas, lying side-by-side in the lower bunk of their shared bed.
Deliberate and Devastating Act
At Kingston Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Bennathan described Alexander’s actions as “the stuff of nightmares.” He told the court the mother had smoked strong cannabis — known as skunk — every night for weeks leading up to the killings and was in a psychotic state when she drowned both children.
“You drowned them both by your deliberate acts,” the judge said, highlighting how Alexander had placed the boys in the bath, likely part of their evening routine, before holding them under the water for up to two minutes.
She then dried them, dressed them in fresh pyjamas, and laid them together under a duvet in their bunkbed. After her ex-partner discovered the scene and rushed downstairs for help, Alexander fled through the garden into a neighbouring street. Paramedics later confirmed the boys had been dead for several hours.
No Prior Violence
During sentencing, Mr Justice Bennathan acknowledged that Alexander had previously been a loving and attentive mother, with no history of violence toward her children. Her former partner said she “never shouted” and “never showed violence to the boys.”
However, the judge also noted Alexander had suffered a previous cannabis-induced psychotic episode in 2016 and had spoken to friends about her continued heavy drug use while caring for the children. Despite this, no one warned her or intervened.
“At least one of them knew of your previous psychotic episode in 2016, yet neither of them warned you of any risk or sounded any note of caution at all,” the judge said.
Abuse of Trust
The court heard that the cause of death was smothering and/or drowning, a “shocking abuse of trust” against two vulnerable children who should have been safe in the care of their mother.
“The vulnerability of the boys by their young age and the shocking abuse of the trust that any small child ought to be able to have in their mother or father” were listed among the case’s aggravating factors.
A Lifetime of Grief
The judge concluded that while the killings were not premeditated, they were deliberate. He acknowledged that Alexander would mourn her sons for the rest of her life but stressed the severity of her actions.
Alexander will serve a minimum of 21 years and 252 days behind bars before she is eligible for parole.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or substance use issues, confidential support is available. Contact Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
