Mother jailed for murdering young son after poisoning him with her antidepressants and beating him
Dylan Scanlon was found lifeless at his home in Greater Manchester after being given nine times more of an antidepressant that would have been fatal to an adult.
Friday 14 July 2023 18:30, UK
A mother has been jailed for the murder of her five-year-old son.
Claire Scanlon, 38, was found guilty on Wednesday of killing Dylan at their home in Oldham, Greater Manchester, on New Year's Eve 2021.
She has now been sentenced to 18 years behind bars.
Scanlon had run to her uncle's house at 6.15pm on 31 December, where she told them the boy was not breathing or moving.
Members of her family went over to her home and found Dylan lifeless in a double bed in the main bedroom with numerous bruises on his face and body.
Toxicological analysis showed the child had been poisoned with Mirtazapine, an antidepressant which was prescribed to Scanlon.
He had been given nine times the amount which would be fatal for an adult.
Scanlon gave family and paramedics numerous different reasons for the bruises, to hide the fact she had beaten and given him her antidepressants.
In the days leading up to his death, Scanlon had sent Dylan's father abusive messages and voicemails telling her ex-partner he would never see his son again.
Police also found a note in the house suggesting that she had planned to kill Dylan and herself.
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Dylan's father, Gary Keenan, said: "Dylan was cruelly taken away from us on New Year's Eve in 2021 by the one person who was supposed to love and protect him.
"He will be missed every minute of every day, and we cannot put into words how difficult it's been to endure the trial and to listen to how Dylan came to his death."
Nicola Carter, senior crown prosecutor for North West CPS, said: "Claire Scanlon's role as a parent was to love and protect her son from harm, but she took the ultimate step to take her young son Dylan away from her ex-partner.
"She initially told her family that a ladder had fallen on Dylan, then a short time later she told a paramedic that he had fallen down some steps.
"The truth was that she had deliberately poisoned and beaten him."