UK: Indian woman admits stabbing daughter to death at home
What's the story
A 36-year-old Indian woman in the UK has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility after she admitted to killing her five-year-old daughter because she was terrified of dying from COVID-19 and thought the little girl could not live without her. Sutha Sivanantham stabbed her daughter Sayagi at their South London flat 15 times before severely injuring herself on June 30 last year.
Decision
The woman had been complaining of mystery ailments
Sivanantham's husband said she had been petrified about catching the virus and the lockdown restrictions may have pushed her over the edge. Appearing at the Old Bailey on Thursday, Sivanantham denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. She will be kept in hospital indefinitely. Sivanantham had complained of mystery ailments for almost a year before the tragedy.
What happened?
Sivanantham had complained of being sick on the day
On the day of the attack, Sivanantham begged her husband not to go to work and called friends to tell them she was unwell. At around 4 pm neighbors went to the flat in Monarch Parade, Mitcham, and found Sivanantham with stab wounds on her abdomen. Sayagi, who was lying on the bed, had been stabbed several times in the neck, chest, and abdomen.
Arrest
Her husband sobbed loudly as his impact statement was read
Sivanantham was taken to hospital, where she remained for more than two months receiving treatment before being discharged into police custody. Sainsbury's worker Suganthan Sivanantham was called at the supermarket to be told that his wife had killed their daughter. He sobbed loudly in the dock as his impact statement was read to the court. He said before the killing the family was happy.
Further details
'Social isolation and lockdown stress contributed to her mental illness'
Mr. Sivanantham said he has not spoken to his wife but accepts she was not responsible for her actions. One psychiatrist who has treated Sivanantham found that the social isolation and stress caused by the COVID-19 lockdown contributed to her serious mental illness. She was sent to be treated in hospital under Sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.