Mother held for infanticide

A mother who is believed to have drowned her baby daughter before dumping the body over a garden fence while suffering from depression has been made the subject of a hospital order.

Amy Black had pleaded guilty to infanticide at Nottingham Crown Court in March. The 40-year-old, who was born in the US, was sentenced by British high court judge Justice Kathryn Thirlwall yesterday.

Detaining her in a secure hospital for an indefinite period, Justice Thirlwall said: “You are suffering from a mental illness that makes it necessary that you be detained for treatment.”