11/04/2005

Killer babysitter receives life sentence

A babysitter who murdered a two-year-old boy in her care has been sentenced to life in prison.

Suzanne Holdsworth, 34, was given a life sentence at Leeds Crown Court for the killing of Kyle Fisher at her home in Millpool Close, Hartlepool, last July. She had been babysitting the child while his nineteen-year-old mother, Claire, went out for the evening.

Ms Holdsworth, who has two children, was found guilty last month at Teeside Crown Court.

The jury was told that Kyle's head had been repeatedly battered against wooden banisters. The impact on the two-year-old's brain was similar to that caused by being thrown from a car at 60mph, the court was told.

Mr Justice Grigson told Ms Holdsworth that she was a woman of "good character" and accepted that the incident was "momentary" and her actions were "wholly unpremeditated". The judge also said that the chance of Ms Holdsworth reoffending was low. However, he said that she would still spend at least ten years in jail.

Mrs Holdsworth's barrister said that that normal starting point for a life sentence for murder was 15 years.

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police, said that there were "no winners" in this case. He said: "Little Kyle is not going to grow up, so his family have been deprived of seeing that. Holdsworth will not see her children grow up because she will be in prison for a long time".

Ms Holdsworth reportedly wept as she was taken from the court.

(KmcA)


Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

01 May 2008
Babysitter Granted Retrial For Toddler Death
A babysitter found guilty of murdering a two-year-old has been granted a retrial. Suzanne Holdworth, 37, of Millpool Close, Hartlepool, has denied that she banged Kyle Fisher's head against a banister in a fit of temper.
27 August 2013
MS And Parkinson's Sufferers Told They Are Fit To Work
Almost half of people with some progressive conditions, including Parkinson's, who put in a claim for the sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), are being told they will recover enough to look for work in the future.
05 December 2005
Life sentence for student killer
A man who killed a female law student has been jailed for life. Christopher Duncan, 21, from Bethnal Green, east London, had pleaded guilty to the murder of Jagdip Najran, 26, last week. The court heard how Duncan met Ms Najran at a karaoke night a few weeks before the murder, in May 2004.
29 May 2014
Man Seriously Assaulted In Somerset
Police have launched an investigation following a serious assault on a 20-year-old man in Bridgwater, Somerset, in the early hours of this morning. At about 2.20am, the victim was walking along Albert Street, close to the junction with Halswell Close, when he was assaulted by two men.
04 September 2007
Body Of Convicted Killer Found
The body of a convicted killer who escaped from an open prison has been found in his car in Derbyshire. Martyn Hughes, 50, from Norfolk, was serving three life sentences for the murder of his two stepchildren and the manslaughter of his wife. He failed to return to Sudbury Open Prison on Sunday after being granted temporary leave.