A mum has been found guilty of murdering her five-year-old son after poisoning him with anti-depressants. Emergency services were called to Limeside, Oldham, on New Year's Eve, 2021 following reports Dylan Scanlon was unconscious.
Neighbours and family members attempted to resuscitate him, but he was sadly pronounced dead. He was found with over 60 bruises to his head, face and body. A toxicology report concluded he had nine times the fatal limit of anti-depressants in his system.
The child's mother Claire Scanlon, 38, claimed he had fallen down stepladders and that he had been 'running around with the dog' just 20 minutes before reporting him unresponsive. She was arrested and later hospitalised under the Mental Health Act, during which she admitted to staff members at Edenfield Hospital: "I killed my son."
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A police investigation revealed a large number of 'angry' voicemails to her ex-partner Gary Keenan, in which she said he left her for another woman while she struggled to live 'emotionally, practically and financially' as a single mum.
Prosecutors said Scanlon was 'very angry and depressed' following the breakdown of the relationship. In one voicemail, she said: "I promise you, you won't see him again. You'll see. Bye. Go and enjoy your life."
Following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court, Scanlon was found guilty of murder. Prosecuting, Lisa Wilding KC told jurors that Ms Scanlon had met Mr Keenan in 2005, and that she had a son from a previous relationship, Shawn Scanlon, who Mr Keenan took on as his own.
Dylan was born in October 2016. Scanlon and Mr Keenan's relationship broke down in 2020 and Mr Keenan moved out.
"She is described by her family as being bitter about the break up and obsessed with Gary," Ms Wilding told the court. "The number of messages she left for Gary and the content of them strongly support that description.
"Shawn Scanlon, now an adult, was still living at home until he moved in with his girlfriend in 2021, just two months before Dylan died.
The day before Dylan's fifth birthday - on September 31 - Ms Scanlon allowed Mr Keenan to visit. That was said to be the last time he saw his son alive.
Ms Scanlon had a history of depression and anxiety, for which she was prescribed mirtazapine. She told Shawn she had stopped taking it four to five months before.
On December 20 2021, she picked up a repeat prescription. In the run-up to Christmas, she became more isolated, and the week before, she sent a number of voicemails to Mr Keenan saying she was struggling to cope looking after Dylan on her own.
She refused to allow Mr Keenan to see Dylan, and also visibly lost weight, the jury heard.
One of the messages read: "I promise you now, carry on treating me like a k**bhead, I promise you're never gonna see my son again."
Ms Scanlon received two letters from solicitors acting for Mr Keenan, arranging for him to have access to Dylan. This made her feel more angry and more upset, it was said.
Dylan was last seen alive by a neighbour the day before, and last heard by his next-door neighbour, who could hear a murmur of voices at around 2am on December 31. She thought Dylan had woken and Ms Scanlon was settling him back down.
At 6.13pm that day, she called Mr Keenan saying Dylan was unresponsive, before running to her uncle's house across the road for help.
Neighbours attempted to give CPR to Dylan, who appeared 'lifeless'. Some of them noticed bruises on his face and head. Ms Scanlon said he had fallen off a stepladder the day before.
Emergency services arrived and Scanlon was arrested. She was later sectioned under the Mental Health Act and transferred to Edenfield Hospital.
Officers searched the house following her arrest and found a number of empty boxes of mirtazapine in the bin; a handwritten note; and a black bin bag full of baby photos of Dylan.
Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said the bruises fond on Dylan's body were sustained within approximately a day of his death. He concluded that the distribution of bruising on the child's head, face and arms was typical of 'non-accidental injury'.
"However, the injuries that could be seen that Dylan sustained did not kill him," Ms Wilding said. "Dylan died from mirtazapine toxicity – he was poisoned by the drug."
A toxicology report found that Dylan had up to 9,951 milligrams of the drug in a litre of blood. This was said to be nine times the fatal limit in adults.
When she was deemed fit to be interviewed by the police, Scanlon gave a prepared statement denying responsibility for her son's injuries and his death. She later called Mr Keenan and told him: "This is all your f****** fault."
Giving evidence, Scanlon said that the day of his death, she found Dylan 'a bit off', and claimed she didn't remember giving him tablets. She denied ever harming her son and said he had 'fallen down some steps' the day before.
Jurors rejected her account and found her guilty of murder. Scanlon, of Elm Road, will be sentenced on Friday (July 14).
Following the case, Nicola Carter, senior crown prosecutor for North West CPS said: "Claire Scanlon's role as a parent was to love and protect her son from harm, but she took the ultimate step to take her young son Dylan away from her ex-partner.
"She initially told her family that a ladder had fallen on Dylan, then a short time later she told a paramedic that he had fallen down some steps. The truth was that she had deliberately poisoned and beaten him.
"I would like to offer my sincere sympathies to Dylan's loved ones including his grandfather, father and brother who gave evidence at the trial. They not only have to come to terms with his loss, but also the manner in which he died."
