A mum has been found guilty of murdering her five-year-old son after poisoning him with anti depressants.
Claire Scanlon, 38, claimed her son Dylan Scanlon had fallen down stepladders and had been 'running around with the dog' just 20 minutes before reporting him unresponsive.
Neighbours and family members attempted to resuscitate him at the home in Limeside, Oldham, but he was sadly pronounced dead on New Year's Eve 2021, reports Manchester Evening News. He was found with over 60 bruises to his head, face and body.
Scanlon was arrested and later hospitalised under the Mental Health Act, where she admitted to hospital staff: "I killed my son."
A toxicology report concluded he had nine times the fatal limit of anti-depressants in his system.
Police investigations 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."
Scanlon was found guilty of murder following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court, and will be sentenced on Friday.
Ms Scanlon had a history of depression and anxiety, for which she was prescribed mirtazapine, and told her now-adult son Shawn Scanlon (born from a previous relationship) 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. Shortly before her death, 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, 2021.
She thought Dylan had woken and Ms Scanlon was settling him back down. At 6.13pm that day, she called Mr Keenan to tell him 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.
Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said the bruises fond on Dylan's body were sustained within approximately a day of his death, and concluded that the distribution of bruising on the child's head, face and arms was typical of 'non-accidental injury'.
But it was found that the cause of his death had been poisoning, and Ms Wilding said: "However, the injuries that could be seen that Dylan sustained did not kill him. 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 in court, Scanlon claimed that on the day of his death she had found Dylan "a bit off" and no recollection of giving him tablets.
She denied ever harming her son and said he had 'fallen down some steps' the day before. But jurors rejected her account and found her guilty of murder, with a sentencing date set for 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."
