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London:
An Indian-origin woman in Scotland was yesterday sentenced to 11 years in jail for brutally killing her three-year-old child and hiding his body in a suitcase.
Rosdeep Adekoya was jailed by the High Court in Edinburgh for the murder of her son Mikaeel Kular at a family flat.
Wearing a black cardigan, glasses and burgundy jeans, the 34-year-old referred to in the British media as "killer mom" wept uncontrollably as judge Lord Glennie said he understood that she expressed remorse for her horrible crime.
He added: "What you did was cruel and inexcusable. Striking a child even once is bad enough. Striking him heavily and repeatedly with hand and fist when he was being sick again and again simply beggars belief.
"Mikaeel was by all accounts a healthy happy little boy. By your actions, however unintended, you have not only robbed Mikaeel of his young life but left a gaping hole in the lives of all who loved him.
"I accept that your remorse is genuine and heartfelt. You are clearly an intelligent and articulate young woman. There is no history of violence by you towards any of your children. That makes it all the more difficult to understand your actions."
Lord Glennie told Adekoya that he would have sent her to prison for 15 years if she hadn't pleaded guilty and had gone to trial.
Adekoya, mother of five children, had initially told police that Mikaeel had disappeared from her home, leading to a major two-day search.
She admitted before the court in July how she lost temper with her son after he was repeatedly ill following a visit to a resturant on January 12.
She told the court that she repeatedly punched her son and hit his body against a hard object, inflicting multiple injuries on him between January 12 and 15.
Adekoya wrapped Mikaeel's body in a duvet cover, hid it inside a suitcase and drove 25 miles to dump it in the woods behind her sister's house in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
According to the BBC, Adekoya -- who had a history of depression and attempted suicide in 2001 -- had called 999 to report her son missing to police.
But glaring inconsistencies began to appear in her account of events and she finally broke down before police, admitting, "It was an accident and I panicked."
According to the 'Courier', at the weekend Mikaeel's grandfather made an impassioned plea for her to be released early from prison so she can look after her other children.
Ahmed Saeed, 63, said he did not support a current campaign calling for Adekoya to face murder charges as he feels her conviction for culpable homicide is adequate.
Mikaeel's biological father, Zahid Saeed, however, feels that Adekoya should "stay in jail until she dies".
More than 5,000 people had signed a 'Justice for Mikaeel' petition protesting at the failure of prosecutors to pursue a murder charge against Adekoya.
Rosdeep Adekoya was jailed by the High Court in Edinburgh for the murder of her son Mikaeel Kular at a family flat.
Wearing a black cardigan, glasses and burgundy jeans, the 34-year-old referred to in the British media as "killer mom" wept uncontrollably as judge Lord Glennie said he understood that she expressed remorse for her horrible crime.
He added: "What you did was cruel and inexcusable. Striking a child even once is bad enough. Striking him heavily and repeatedly with hand and fist when he was being sick again and again simply beggars belief.
"Mikaeel was by all accounts a healthy happy little boy. By your actions, however unintended, you have not only robbed Mikaeel of his young life but left a gaping hole in the lives of all who loved him.
"I accept that your remorse is genuine and heartfelt. You are clearly an intelligent and articulate young woman. There is no history of violence by you towards any of your children. That makes it all the more difficult to understand your actions."
Lord Glennie told Adekoya that he would have sent her to prison for 15 years if she hadn't pleaded guilty and had gone to trial.
Adekoya, mother of five children, had initially told police that Mikaeel had disappeared from her home, leading to a major two-day search.
She admitted before the court in July how she lost temper with her son after he was repeatedly ill following a visit to a resturant on January 12.
She told the court that she repeatedly punched her son and hit his body against a hard object, inflicting multiple injuries on him between January 12 and 15.
Adekoya wrapped Mikaeel's body in a duvet cover, hid it inside a suitcase and drove 25 miles to dump it in the woods behind her sister's house in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
According to the BBC, Adekoya -- who had a history of depression and attempted suicide in 2001 -- had called 999 to report her son missing to police.
But glaring inconsistencies began to appear in her account of events and she finally broke down before police, admitting, "It was an accident and I panicked."
According to the 'Courier', at the weekend Mikaeel's grandfather made an impassioned plea for her to be released early from prison so she can look after her other children.
Ahmed Saeed, 63, said he did not support a current campaign calling for Adekoya to face murder charges as he feels her conviction for culpable homicide is adequate.
Mikaeel's biological father, Zahid Saeed, however, feels that Adekoya should "stay in jail until she dies".
More than 5,000 people had signed a 'Justice for Mikaeel' petition protesting at the failure of prosecutors to pursue a murder charge against Adekoya.
