Mother suffering from post-natal psychosis killed five-month-old baby during walk in Leeds after leaving Christmas party at mental health unit

Hayley Macfarlane convinced herself she had “failed” Evelyn and fatally injured the baby on the afternoon of December 20 last year in Woodhouse Moor Park. She then proceeded to call her husband to tell him “she’s gone”.

In a text message she sent to her husband on that day, she said: “I want you know how much I love you, the life we have created and dream of, including our beautiful little girl.” Shortly afterwards, she rang him while he was driving and told him to pull over, chillingly telling him: “She’s gone.” She then rang the police and told them she had killed her daughter.

The 39-year-old appeared at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday morning (Friday 28 June) for sentencing after admitting infanticide - the unlawful killing of a child under 12 months by its mother while her mind was “disturbed”. Macfarlane, 39, was initially charged with murder which she denied and a trial date was set.

However, during a hearing earlier this month, she pleaded guilty to infanticide which was accepted by the Crown. Prosecuting the case, Craig Hassall KC said that despite her baby born healthy in July last year, Macfarlane became “preoccupied” with her health and that she was somehow impeding the youngster’s development.

Mr Hassall said: “She was absolutely certain she was failing Evelyn and was not caring for her properly. She refused to accept she was unwell, but only she had failed.”

Not long after her baby was born, Macfarlane referred herself to her GP and was prescribed antidepressants. With her mental state deteriorating, on November 2 she went downstairs with Evelyn at her home on Carrington Street in Barnsley, where she filled the sink and placed Evelyn in the water, but then “came to”.

She put the youngster in her bouncer chair and briefly left the house. She later said she had thoughts of drinking cleaning fluid.

She voluntarily admitted herself to the psychiatric unit at Fieldhead Hospital in Wakefield where it was agreed she should not be with her baby. She became very depressed, withdrawn from her family and and was fixated on the idea that she had stunted her baby’s development

Doctors said there was evidence of psychosis. She was transferred to a specialist mother and baby unit at The Mount in Leeds, where she was prescribed antipsychotic medication - but had continuing reservations about how the antipsychotic medication would affect Evelyn.

After taking a low dose, she began to improve and appeared “more relaxed”, the court heard. Having being detained for 28 days and improving, she was discharged but voluntarily stayed at the unit.

On December 20, a Christmas party was held at the unit, attended by Macfarlane and Evelyn. Macfarlane then left the building with Evelyn in her pram shortly before 4pm, saying she was going for a walk. She was permitted to go out unaccompanied due to the progress it was thought she had made.

It was a short time later she sent the text message, then rang her husband and the police. Having told the arriving officers it was “awful”, “terrible” and that she should be “taken away”, she made a full confession during subsequent interviews. The High Court judge, the Honourable Justice Lambert DBE was uncertain if the sentencing hearing would conclude yesterday, and the hearing continued.