Mother who killed teenage daughters sentenced to 33 years

By Camilla Pemberton on September 22, 2009 in Child safeguarding, Mental Health

A mother who stabbed her two teenage daughters to death after her marriage broke down was today sentenced to serve a minimum of 33 years in prison.

Rekha Kumari-Baker, 41, had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after killing daughters Davina, 16, and Jasmine, 13, in June 2007, but was found guilty of murder at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday.

As reported by the BBC, the court heard that Kumari-Brown had wanted to “wreak havoc” on her former husband, David Baker, and in passing sentence, Mr Justice Bean told Kumari-Baker: “Your defence of diminished responsibility was flimsy and insubstantial. You knew quite well what you were doing and you were not mentally ill.”

Serious case review

Cambridgeshire Safeguarding Children Board is conducting a serious case review into the murders after it emerged that social services had been warned of concerns over Kumari-Baker’s mental state.

As reported in The Daily Telegraph, teachers at Davina’s school had grown worried about Kumari-Baker’s behaviour. The school’s vice principal told police that Kumari-Baker was “volatile” and “erratic”, while her GP, David Toase, told the court that in 2003 she was diagnosed with stress.

Safeguarding board chair Felicity Schofield said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the friends and family of the two girls, who have been through an extremely difficult period during the trial which has reminded everyone of the tragic and traumatic events of two years ago.

“As is always the case when a child dies in this manner, the safeguarding children board initiated a serious case review shortly after the girls’ death. The review includes looking at how agencies were working with the family.”

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