A mother purposely smothered her daughter before trying to commit suicide, a court has heard.
Hours before the alleged murder, Cody-Anne Jackson, 20, bombarded the girl’s father with angry texts after their relationship ended. She also sent Paul Hogan a picture of their daughter Macey, 2, with a message which read: ‘Sorry, just thought you deserved one last picture and memory of her’.
Paul had moved out of the family home just a week before the child was found dead by police.
Jackson was found with superficial knife wounds with a suicide note that read: ‘I do not want to leave her behind but I can’t go on either. There is nothing for me or Macey.’
Stafford Crown Court was told the ‘socially-isolated’ mother suffocated her daughter before making a botched attempt to take her own life.
Jackson claims that Macey suffocated while sleeping in bed next to her. She said that she tried to kill herself after discovering her daughter’s lifeless body.
The court heard that Macey’s father had moved out of their home in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, just days before the tragedy.
Prosecutor Jonas Hankin QC said that the relationship had reached ‘a tipping point’ on the weekend of October 7 to 9 when Jackson sent him a string of messages.
‘It was clear Cody felt angry and frustrated with Paul,’ said Hankin and on October 8, Jackson sent Mr. Hogan the picture of Macey with the chilling message.
In Cody’s mind the relationship was over and on October 9, for the first time, the Mother was forced to confront the reality of being on her own when she spent the rest of the day at home alone with Macey.
Jackson spent the night next to her daughter before dialing 999 on the morning of October 10 to report she was not breathing.
Mr Hankin QC said: ‘This child suffered widespread brain damage caused by the interruption of oxygenated blood supply to the brain. Something has interfered with her ability to breathe.’
Jackson claims she put Macey to bed at 6.30pm and went to bed herself after taking her prescribed medication. She claims Macey woke up so she put the child into her bed at 7.25pm and then fell asleep when she later woke to find Macey next to her in between two pillows.
She said that her pillow was slightly over Macey’s face and when she moved it discovered the child was not breathing.
Realizing that nothing could be done she claims she decided not to call the emergency services and lay in bed with her daughter.
She later went downstairs and grabbed two kitchen knives, took them up to her bedroom and attempted to take her own life.
Minutes later police smashed their way into the house, but the officer could not open the bedroom door fully because it was blocked by Macey’s body.
Cody was reportedly sitting cross-legged behind Macey facing the officer and performing ‘ineffective’ CPR. It was obvious to the officer that Macey had been dead for some time.
Police found 4 knives in the bedroom and a suicide note addressed to the defendant’s uncle, Craig Jackson.
The note read: ‘I sit here thinking about killing my own daughter and then killing myself. I do not want to leave her behind but I can’t go on either. There is nothing for me or Macey.’
Jackson is denying the murder charge and the trial, which is expected to last about three weeks, continues.