Essex woman jailed for life for poisoning baby son with cocktail of drugs

A mother who poisoned her one-year-old son with a lethal cocktail of prescription medications added to milk in a baby bottle has been jailed for life for his murder. Emma Barnett, 36, killed her son Oakley before he could be taken into care after a family court hearing ordered that he be removed from her. The judge, Mr Justice Derek Sweeting, told Cambridge crown court that Barnett had arranged to join a family court hearing remotely on 8 November 2024. He said that before the hearing started she drove her car to Epping Forest, and collected medications that had been prescribed to her on the way home. Barnett, of Debden, Essex , laid a false trail, creating the impression she had gone to a friend’s house and later to Epping Forest, when in fact she was hiding in the loft at her address with her son. She added the antihistamine promethazine, which can induce sedation, and the antidepressant mirtazapine to juice and milk in Oakley’s baby bottles. The judge said that after the family court hearing that ordered Oakley’s removal, social workers and police sought to find Barnett to remove the toddler. “As the evening progressed concern grew for your welfare and Oakley’s safety,” the judge said. He said Barnett’s car was found in Epping Forest, leading to a search with a helicopter and police dogs. Police attended her address shortly before midnight and “heard the sound of a baby crying coming from the loft”, the judge said. …