A woman accused of murdering her eight-week old son was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms coupled with depression worsened by the childbirth, a court has heard.
The woman is charged with murdering her son and attempting to murder his two-year-old sister in July 2021.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admits she stabbed the children but denies the charges.
A psychologist was called to give evidence on Wednesday.
She assessed the woman following her arrest.
Attending Belfast Crown Court via videolink, the psychologist said she had examined a wealth of information regarding the defendant as well as conducting interviews with her.
Under questioning by a defence barrister, the psychologist confirmed the woman had a “trauma-free childhood” and only started experiencing low moods after meeting her partner in 2018.
‘Love-bombed’
The psychologist said the accused claimed her mood worsened following the birth of her second child and that she was living in a “state of isolation” in July 2021.
The defence barrister then asked the psychologist about the nature of the relationship between his client and her partner.
She said it was her opinion that the accused was “being subjected to coercive control including various forms of emotional, physical, financial and sexual abuse”.
She confirmed she had reached this conclusion on the basis of several strands of evidence including the accused being initially “love-bombed” by her partner and being proposed to within the first week of them meeting.
The psychologist said she believed the accused displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to her relationship and was also suffering from a moderate to severe level of depression.
The prosecuting counsel asked the psychologist if coercive control had degrees of severity.
He asked if she was aware that the defendant had slapped her partner, and had not hesitated to contact the police a number of times about his behaviour.
Prosecuting counsel challenged her about a line in her report where she said the defendant had felt her life and her children’s lives had been threatened by her partner.
The psychologist said it was not her intention to suggest the children’s father had made threats to kill his children.
Rather, she said, the defendant told her she feared he would take them away from her.
Source – BBC News
