Mother of girl who starved to death cleared of murder

A MOTHER who starved her seven-year-old daughter to death was cleared of murder yesterday after prosecutors accepted her defence of diminished responsibility.

Angela Gordon, who admitted the manslaughter of Khyra Ishaq two weeks ago, was formally found not guilty of murder by jurors at Birmingham Crown Court on the orders of trial judge Mr Justice Roderick Evans.

The decision by the Crown to accept Gordon’s plea to the lesser charge came after she admitted five counts of child cruelty and psychiatrists agreed that she was suffering from severe depression when Khyra died in May 2008.