Mother who stabbed her new child child to loss of life with scissors after giving start alone within the toilet whereas her accomplice performed Xbox is discovered useless in jail

A mom who stabbed her new child child to loss of life with scissors and positioned her physique in plastic baggage earlier than tossing it in a kitchen bin has been discovered useless in jail.

Rachel Tunstill, 32, killed her daughter Mia Kelly shortly after giving start alone within the toilet of her flat in Burnley, Lancashire. Her accomplice was enjoying Xbox within the subsequent room in the course of the January 2017 homicide.

Tunstill acquired two life sentences for Mia’s homicide – the second sentence was handed down in 2019.

She was initially discovered responsible of homicide and sentenced to a minimal of 20 years in jail following a trial at Preston Crown Court in June 2017. But the conviction was overturned after an appeals court docket decide dominated that the jury within the case had reached a verdict of infanticide ought to get. to contemplate.

A Liverpool Crown Court jury discovered Tunstill responsible of homicide after a retrial and was sentenced to life imprisonment and needed to serve a minimal of 17 years earlier than being eligible for launch.

The Prison Service confirmed final night time that Tunstill died yesterday at HMP Styal in Cheshire. The circumstances surrounding her loss of life are at present unknown.

A spokesperson mentioned: ‘HMP Styal prisoner Rachel Tunstill died in custody on August 1, 2023. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.’

The court docket beforehand heard that Tunstill, a graduate of psychology and deputy supervisor at a care residence for folks with psychological well being issues, had high-functioning autistic spectrum dysfunction.

She had claimed she was unaware that her being pregnant was virtually full time period and thought she miscarried within the flat she shared together with her accomplice, forklift driver Ryan Kelly, in Wellington Court, Burnley. She was 37 to 38 weeks pregnant on the time.

The jury was informed that Tunstill had been charged with homicide, however jurors may take into account options of manslaughter, manslaughter with decreased duty or infanticide.

According to the protection, Tunstill had been disturbed in his temper in the course of the interval after the start on the night of January 14, 2017, and she or he had “an acute stress reaction.”

In the weeks main as much as the supply, Tunstill searched the Internet for phrases equivalent to ‘how to terminate a pregnancy’.

She additionally sought data on infamous killer Mick Philpott, who killed six of his personal kids in a home fireplace, and the court docket heard she had mentioned she was thinking about how somebody described as a “psychopath” may have cried on tv in regards to the useless. earlier than his guilt got here to mild.

The court docket was informed that Tunstill had reported listening to voices since imprisonment and claimed they’d informed her she resembled Rose West, a serial killer who collaborated together with her husband within the torture and homicide of not less than 9 younger ladies between 1973 and 1987.

At the time of sentencing, the decide, Mr Justice King, mentioned: ‘This should have been a sustained and frenzied assault on a sufferer who was notably susceptible due to her age. Her responsibility to her new child was to rock and luxury her – to not stab her to loss of life.

“There was, in my judgment, concealment of the body here, albeit short-lived, and, in addition, there was no doubt the humiliation inflicted on the body by disposing of it in the manner she did.”

He mentioned the circumstances of the January 14, 2017 homicide had been “particularly poignant,” including, “What drove her to kill her baby in this way may never be known.” She gave start alone within the toilet of the Wellington Court flat, Burnley, which she shared together with her accomplice of 9 years, Mr Ryan, to a full-term child weighing six to seven kilos.

“She called for a pair of scissors that Ryan brought her and then, unbeknownst to her partner, she used these scissors to stab her baby to death.”

She informed him she had a miscarriage and requested him for a pair of scissors earlier than stabbing Mia 14 instances simply after she was born, it was mentioned.

MailOnline has approached the Ombudsman for Prisons and Probation for a response.