The former wife of a celebrity photographer admits killing disabled son after vital c are was stopped during lockdown.
Olga Freeman, who is 40 years old, was under pressure after vital care was withdrawn during lockdown.
She ended up suffocating him at their house in Acton, West London.
Dylan, the son, had autism along with a number of conditions restricting his sight and communication.
He required 24 hour care.
Joel Smith, prosecutor, told the court:
During lockdown he was not able to attend school, the burden of care had fallen more heavily on the defendant. (She) had been struggling to meet Dylan’s care needs for the last year as he became older and bigger and more difficult to care for.
The prosecutor said that a friend was helping Freeman out for around 12 hours per week.
The mother’s appeal to her local council for more assistance was not successful, heard the court.
Freeman appeared at court through videolink from hospital to plead not guilty to murder but not guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
Her mental health was also assessed by psychiatrists.
Jane Bickerstaff QC is the representative of Freeman, and they said:
The three psychiatrists all agree that the defendant’s responsibility at the time of the act of the killing was diminished and at a low level, for the reason she was suffering from a depressive illness with psychotic symptoms in the lead-up to the offence.
Dean Freeman, the former husband of Freeman, is a known lifestyle and fashion photographer who has published books on Spice Girls, Kelly Brook, Michael Buble, and David Beckham
The father of Dylan was away and was in Spain when the incident happened.
In a statement that they released, he said that he was devastated by the death of his son.
Talking about the death of his son, he said:
Dylan was a beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim. We travelled extensively over the years together spending such memorable time in places including Brazil, France and Spain. I can’t begin to comprehend his loss.
Edita Surpickaja, a friend of Freeman, was also in court after authorities got to know that she had noticed that her friend was struggling with the care of her son’s need 1 year before the incident happened.
The behavior of the kid became challenging.
Prosecutor Smith added in court:
Ms Surpickaja had only been able to offer assistance for around 12 hours per week and had noticed a decline in the defendant’s mental health.
6 days before the death of Dylan , Freeman, her friend, made a worrying comment about being the second Jesus.
Freeman was also insisting that she had to go to Jerusalem before she admitted she had killed her son and it was the best for him.
She added:
This is my job: to sacrifice my beloved child to create a balance in this world.
The dead body of Dylan was found under a duvet in the master bedroom with toys lying close to him.
Freeman told the police that she used a bra and her hands to kill her son and also placed a piece of of sponge in his throat to stop him from breathing.
Kristen Katsouris, from the CPS, said:
This was a tragic death of a child at the hands of his mother who was struggling to cope. Olga Freeman had loved and cared for Dylan for many years, but the strain and pressures of her son’s severe and complex special needs had built up and that combined with her impaired mental health led to heart-breaking consequences.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and Dylan, may his soul rest in peace.