UK - Woman charged with attempted murder of 2 children in Wales

Today, a jury found the 28-year-old, from Newport, Gwent, not guilty of two counts of attempted murder by reason of insanity...


An eyewitness described the eldest child as cowering in fear, holding a blood soaked blanket to their neck before revealing a gaping wound to the front of their throat.

The two children managed to survive, but required urgent and "significant" surgery.

Jenkins, who had starting smoking cannabis aged 11 as a way to deal with the death of her father, told doctors: "The voices told me to do it."
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Forensic psychiatrist Doctor Philip Joseph said prolonged amphetamine abuse had badly affected Jenkins' mental state.

In the months leading up to the attack, Jenkins began to suffer from paranoid delusions while in the grip of an amphetamine addiction.

As well as chopping off her hair after becoming convinced she was infested with lice, Jenkins also began leaving coat hangers on all the doors in her house amid fears that someone had stolen her keys.

Her paranoia escalated even further when she began believing a "worldwide mafia gang" was following her.

After watching an episode of CSI, she believed mobsters were about to kidnap the two children and decided "she had no choice" but to kill them.

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Sadie Jenkins, 28, was staying overnight in the house in Newport South Wales when she thought she received a secret message through the American TV show CSI.

She then went into the bedroom of a 16-month-old girl and seven-year-old boy and attacked them with a steak knife...

The boy suffered an 8cm wound to his neck which made the 'deep structures in his neck visible' and required 20 stitches.

The 16-month-old girl was left with a 6cm-long injury which had cut through the skin, fat and muscle and needed 15 stitches to close...

Jenkins told doctors she thought she was saving the children from 'a fate worse than death' when she slashed their throats.

Forensic psychiatrist Doctor Philip Joseph said prolonged amphetamine abuse had badly affected Jenkins' mental state so much so that she was genuinely convinced the mafia was going to kidnap and torture the two youngsters.

He said Jenkins’ hallucinations had been a product of her drug abuse rather than due to any long-term mental condition such as schizophrenia.

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