WESTON-SUPER-MARE WOMAN SPARED JAIL AFTER DROPPING NEWBORN FROM BALCONY
A woman who caused her newborn baby's death by dropping him from a balcony has been spared jail so that she can receive help.Sarah Jane Barron, aged 34, was initially charged with murder in October 2022, which she denied, but she later admitted to the lesser charge of infanticide.
The incident occurred in December 2020 when the baby was only hours old and was found in a Weston-super-Mare garden with multiple injuries.
The court heard that Barron had just given birth alone in her flat's toilet and had concealed her pregnancy from herself.
In her shock and panic, she dropped the child over the balcony.
Barron had been in psychological denial about her pregnancy, and her partner, Mr.
Taylor, who was the father of the baby, was unaware of her pregnancy.
When he returned home, she told him she had a miscarriage, but she later admitted she had 'got rid' of the baby.
The boy was found in the garden with injuries, and Avon and Somerset Police described the incident as tragic and complex.
Barron faced a judge at Bristol Crown Court, where the judge, Mr.
Justice Linden, stated, "Prosecution and I accept you were criminally responsible for his death but at the time the balance of your mind was disturbed." The judge emphasized that "what is required is very often compassion and support and rehabilitation rather than punishment," and thus, a three-year community order was imposed, along with a rehabilitative requirement and a bar from working with children and vulnerable adults.
Mr.
Taylor expressed his anguish, saying, "This has been the worst time of my life - I have lost my home and I am unable to work.
I would've helped or supported Sarah.
I want her to get the help she needs, even though I have been through hell." The police described the case as highly sad and intricate, concluding that the incident profoundly affected everyone involved.
