A woman has admitted the manslaughter of her baby who was discovered in a bin bag in woodland 27 years ago.
Joanne Sharkey, 55, was due to face trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday accused of murdering a newborn baby, later named Callum, between March 8 and March 12 1998, but entered a guilty plea to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
The baby boy’s body was found close to Gulliver’s World theme park in Warrington, Cheshire, on March 14 1998, by a dog walker, in a wooded area off Camp Road.
Cheshire Constabulary said Callum, who is believed to have been born full-term, had been discarded inside two knotted binbags and was discovered after the dog walker became curious as to what was in the bags and poked a hole in them with a stick.
At the time, the identity of the boy’s parents was unknown, but they were identified after an investigation by police that spanned two decades, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Sharkey, of Denham Close in West Derby, Liverpool, also pleaded guilty to attempting to conceal the birth of a child.
Prosecution barrister Jonas Hankin KC said all the elements of a diminished responsibility plea were supported by psychiatrists, the police, the CPS and counsel on both sides.
In plain terms, he said, the killing was “impossible to understand” in the absence of significant mental impairment, which had “substantially impaired her ability to form rational judgment and exercise self-control”.
Judge Mrs Justice Eady said: “I have read and reviewed the medical evidence in light of the test required for a defence of diminished responsibility and what is clear is that, given the unequivocal acceptance of the medical evidence, there could be no identifiable reason for a jury to reject that evidence so I approve the course you have outlined.”
Nina Grahame KC, defending Sharkey, asked for sentencing to be adjourned until March 21 so a pre-sentence report could be obtained.
Detectives named the infant Callum after the Callands district of Warrington where he was found dead, as his identity could not be confirmed.
A funeral service was arranged by local people and he was buried in Warrington Cemetery a few months later.
The headstone, which was paid for with money raised by local residents, was inscribed: “Baby Callum, precious child of God. Laid to rest July 27, 1998. With love, from the people of Warrington.”
Adam Till, from the CPS, said: “This has been a complex case about a baby whose life was unfairly cut short.
“He would have been an adult today and it’s devastating to think of the life he could have had.
“The circumstances of his death have deeply affected everyone who has been involved in this case as well as the wider community.
“We carefully considered and accepted a guilty plea to manslaughter following a thorough review of the psychiatric reports and medical evidence.
“The evidence concluded that Sharkey’s mental state was significantly impaired at the time of the offence due to a medical condition which diminished her criminal responsibility.
“While the outcome of this case will never bring the baby back, we hope it brings a small measure of comfort to everyone who has been affected by this awful case.”
Cheshire Constabulary said a full DNA sample was taken from the baby, as well as from blood found on the binbags, but no match was found for either of his parents on the DNA database.
Despite DNA swabs being taken from people living locally, house-to-house inquiries, inquiries with hospitals, midwife services and GPs, as well as schools, a media campaign and anniversary appeals, Sharkey was not identified until a familial link between the baby and somebody who was related to him, who had been added to the police DNA database in the years since searches were last completed, was discovered.
Sharkey was arrested on July 28 2023 on suspicion of murder. No action was taken against the baby’s father because he had not known of the pregnancy, the birth, or the subsequent death.
Police say Sharkey had concealed her pregnancy, given birth at her home address and caused the death of the baby, who was found to have wads of tissue in his mouth and throat, in the following hours.
She then placed the baby’s body in bin bags and drove to the site in Warrington where she left him.
Sharkey was charged with murder and endeavouring to conceal the birth of a child in April last year.
Following the guilty plea, Detective Inspector Hannah Friend, said: “Despite his life being cruelly cut short, he has not been forgotten, and his memory has lived on in the local area for the past few decades.
“While this guilty plea today will bring some closure to what has been a lengthy and complex investigation, ongoing for almost 30 years, the result will not bring back baby Callum who should have had his whole life ahead of him.”
