Mother guilty of children's murders

A woman who killed her young son and daughter in a Spanish hotel room has been found guilty of their “abominable” murders.

Lianne Smith, 45, admitted smothering 11-month-old Daniel and five-year-old Rebecca with a plastic bag at the Miramar Hotel in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava in May 2010.

A jury at the Provincial Court in Girona, north east Spain, found her guilty of murder charges after deciding she was criminally responsible for the children’s deaths.

Smith was seeking an acquittal, claiming she was in a state of ``psychiatric disturbance'' and suffering insurmountable fear when the tragedy happened.

But the jury rejected her claim that she was “totally disturbed” or she was so scared she could not be expected to act in any other way when she committed the murders.

Wearing a dark top, black trousers and flip flops, Smith remained calm when the verdict was read out.

After the verdict was given, Victor Pillado Quintas, for the prosecution, asked for her to be jailed for a total of 34 years.

Judge Adolfo Garcia Morales is now expected to release a written sentence in the coming weeks.

An open air flamenco concert was being held outside the Provincial Court and contrasted with Smith’s sad expression when police led her out and drove her away.