Overview

• Winchester Crown Court sentenced the 42-year-old teaching assistant to four years in custody, with Mr Justice Saini presiding.
• Prosecutors said she took Annabel to Kingsley Pond near their Kingsley home on September 10, 2023, held her under water, and the child died the next day in hospital.
• Two psychiatric reports found her judgment was substantially impaired by mental illness, leading the prosecution to accept a plea to manslaughter on diminished responsibility.
• The court heard she called 999 and initially misled police and doctors about what had happened before the truth emerged.
• Annabel’s father, Peter Mackey, delivered a victim impact statement describing profound trauma and the deep bond he shared with his daughter.