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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Josh Halliday North of England editor

Mother who killed baby 27 years ago receives suspended prison sentence

Police headshot of Joanne Sharkey
Sharkey was arrested on suspicion of murder in 2023 after DNA samples proved she was the mother of the dead baby. Photograph: Cheshire police

A woman who killed her newborn baby 27 years ago while she had severe postnatal depression has been handed a suspended prison sentence, as a judge said the case “calls for compassion”.

Joanne Sharkey, 55, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility over the death of her days-old son, whose body was found wrapped in bin bags in woodland in 1998.

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