MAXINE ROBINSON FROM CHESTER-LE-STREET RECEIVES ADDITIONAL YEARS FOR CHILD MURDER IN COUNTY DURHAM

In a significant development in the ongoing case of Maxine Robinson, a woman from Chester-Le-Street, County Durham, who was already serving a life sentence for the tragic deaths of her two children, an additional three years have been added to her incarceration period. This extension follows her admission to the murder of a third child, a revelation that has shocked the local community and the wider public alike.

Robinson, now 36 years old, confessed during rehabilitation sessions held within the high-security women's unit at Durham Prison that she was responsible for the death of her firstborn, Victoria, in 1989. Her admission came after years of silence and was considered a pivotal moment in her ongoing legal and psychological journey. She explained that she had smothered Victoria using a deflated balloon, a detail that until then had been attributed to a tragic cot death, a common cause of infant mortality at the time.

Her confession was heard in Newcastle Crown Court, where Mr. Justice Clarke, presiding over the case, recommended that Robinson serve an additional three years behind bars. The judge emphasized the seriousness of her actions and the importance of justice, especially given her existing life sentence for the murders of her other two children, Christine, aged 19 months, and Anthony, aged five months. Robinson had been incarcerated for over eight years when she made her startling admission.

In her police interviews, Robinson revealed that she had been overwhelmed and unable to cope with her circumstances at the time. She described feelings of depression and noted that her mother’s criticism had contributed to her emotional distress. Her first child, Victoria, was born from her marriage to Les Cope, whom she married after a brief three-week courtship. The subsequent children, Christine and Anthony, were from her marriage to her second husband, Peter.

Prosecutor Aidan Marron QC stated that Robinson told police she felt inadequate due to her mother’s constant criticism. She reportedly said, “I felt she was the mother and I was only allowed to be there, and even then it was begrudgingly.”

Her defense lawyer, Franz Muller QC, argued that Robinson’s feelings of inadequacy had stunted her emotional development, preventing her from becoming a responsible adult. He stated, “She felt nothing she did had been good enough for her mother and that stifled her development into a normal, mature, responsible adult.”

Outside the court, a supporter of the Robinson family, who wished to remain anonymous, commented on the background of her mother, Ann Leggett, a former nanny with extensive childcare knowledge. The supporter remarked, “Her mother was always justifiably worried about the welfare of the child.”

Robinson was scheduled to be eligible for parole in December of the following year, but the court’s decision to extend her sentence by three years serves as a stark reminder of the complexities surrounding cases of maternal filicide. The judge concluded by stating that the case was a “timely reminder that not all mothers in prison for killing their children are victims of miscarriages of justice,” highlighting the gravity of her actions and the importance of accountability.