BARNSLEY WOMAN TO BE SENTENCED FOR INFANTICIDE AFTER SMOTHERING BABY IN LEEDS PARK
Hayley MacFarlane, a 39-year-old woman from Barnsley living on Carrington Street, is due to face sentencing after admitting to the killing of her five-month-old daughter, Evelyn.MacFarlane confessed to smothering her child in a Leeds park and appeared at Leeds Crown Court earlier this month.
She acknowledged the infanticide following Evelyn’s death in hospital on December 20 of last year.
The court heard she contacted emergency services, reporting her daughter was seriously unwell, and was found at the scene by officers.
It was revealed that her mental health was not fully recovered from childbirth at the time of the incident.
She has pleaded guilty to causing her daughter’s death by smothering, an act linked to her postnatal psychosis.
She remains in a low secure psychiatric facility, with her sentencing planned for next week.
The judge has also considered arrangements for her ongoing mental health treatment and possible transfer to a prison setting.
The case has raised concerns regarding the failure of healthcare professionals to identify her mental health crisis sooner.
The judge highlighted that MacFarlane has shown insight into her conduct and is making positive responses to treatment.
The sentencing will be carried out by Mrs Justice Lambert, emphasizing the crucial role of mental health evaluations in infanticide proceedings.
**MacFarlane was later received an indefinite hospital order**
