Mother Kills Baby to "Get Back" at Boyfriend

	posted by Scott on Wednesday May 23, @03:21PM from the domestic-violence dept.
	AngryHarry submitted this article from the UK Telegraph, about a woman who threw her 10 month old daughter out a third-floor window to "get her own back" on her boyfriend during an argument. The child was killed. "[Helen] Patterson, 23, of Newcastle upon Tyne, denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. [The prosecuting attorney] said the Crown had decided to accept the plea following reports from psychiatrists that she was suffering from depression and other mental problems."

	Source: The Telegraph [UK newspaper] Title: Mother threw her baby out of window Author: Thomas Penny Date: May 22, 2001

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Tragic and Disgusting (Score:1) by Nightmist (nightmist@mensactivism.org) on Wednesday May 23, @03:50PM EST (#1) (User #187 Info) If I were the father of that child--and this incident had happened in the U.S.--I might be considering the following options: 1) Getting the mother some mental help 2) Getting out of that horrific marriage 3) Suing the mother in civil court for willfully depriving me of a life with my child (if one may even sue on those terms. I am certainly no lawyer). What a sick mess.

Whoops (Score:1) by Nightmist (nightmist@mensactivism.org) on Wednesday May 23, @03:54PM EST (#2) (User #187 Info) Looks like my No. 2 wouldn't have been an option, considering the father was her boyfriend and not her husband. Sorry for my lack of attention to that matter.

Civil Action Against Mother (Score:0) by Anonymous User on Wednesday May 23, @04:28PM EST (#3) If the boyfriend was the murdered infant's father, he could sue her on that basis for the wrongful death of his child. In the US he could seek out punitive damages since this was an intentional tort. Also, regardless of whether he's the father, he probably has a good case for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Re:Civil Action Against Mother (Score:1) by BusterB on Thursday May 24, @11:07AM EST (#4) (User #94 Info) http://themenscenter.com/busterb/ For which the courts may or may not award him substantial damages (after all, US courts consider fathers' rights to children to be trivial), order her to pay (which she probably wouldn't be able to), have her ignore the order (which she probably would), and have the courts in turn ignore the fact that she refuses to pay. If I ever decide to become a criminal, I'm going to have a sex change first. :-)

Re:Civil Action Against Mother (Score:1) by Nightmist (nightmist@mensactivism.org) on Thursday May 24, @11:37AM EST (#5) (User #187 Info) Anyone know if the father might be able to seek something other than monetary damages here? The mother's commitment to a mental hospital, perhaps? Or would that be an entirely different case/court? Then again, perhaps the mother could be made to pay smaller damages in weekly/monthly/whatever increments; the same way in which fathers are forced to pay child support--a specific amount of money over a specific amount of time. Still, I suppose there's no guarantee she'd comply, or that the judgment would be enforced.

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