Murder accused mum 'enormously' regrets fatal knife attack, Belfast court told

A mum who stabbed her eight-week old baby in the heart has told a jury that she "enormously" regretted carrying out the fatal knife attack.

As she spent a fourth day in the witness box at Belfast Crown Court, the woman denied she was in a "blind rage" when she stabbed her children.

She is currently standing trial on charges of murdering her eight-week old son and attempting to murder her two-year old daughter.

While the 30-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, accepts she stabbed her children she has denies the charges.

Both the baby boy and his two-year old sister were rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital on the evening of Tuesday July 27, 2021.

The little girl underwent emergency surgery and made a full recovery, however her younger brother didn't survive.

After being called back to the witness box once again the accused was cross-examined by prosecuting barrister Richard Weir KC.

Mr Weir suggested to the accused that she was possessive and jealous, and also that she was angry on the day in question as she believed her partner was with another woman.

She accepted she was possessive and unhappy but denied being jealous. Regarding being angry on the evening in question, she said she was "very very upset" and "angry inside".

She was then asked about picking up a knife from the kitchen and bringing it into the living room where her children were.

When Mr Weir asked her "did you realise what you were going to do was wrong and awful?" she initially replied "I don't know" before saying "yes."

The accused said that after lifting the knife, she went to stab the baby but didn't, and returned it to the kitchen. She then had a smoke, got the knife back then used it to "hurt" her children.

Telling the court "I don't know what was going on in my mind at that time", she said she can't forgive herself and wished she could "turn back time."

She was then asked about efforts she said she made to resuscitate her son. Saying she did this "to help him", she said she "enormously" regretted what she did.

At this point, Mr Weir asked her to explain to the jury why, if she regretted stabbing her son, she "took the same knife, took hold of (her daughter) and stabbed her?" to which she replied "I don't know, I don't know."

Mr Weir then suggested the reason she stabbed her children was because she was in a "blind rage" and this was denied by the accused who said "I didn't have any rage in me. I had no rage, no hate."

After she was asked what she did with her daughter after stabbing her, the accused started sobbing and said: "I held her to keep her alive. I held her in my arms to my chest."

The trial is due to resume on Monday, 27 February.

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