A mother (31) who killed her baby son and attempted to drown her young daughter was today found guilty but insane.
Mary Collins, from Parnell Court, Westport, Co Mayo, pushed the double buggy containing 11-month-old Liam Collins and three-year-old Teresa Collins over the quay wall in the town and into the sea in July 2002 before jumping in herself after them.
Mary Collins
At the Central Criminal Court the jury of nine men and three women returned an instant verdict of guilty but insane after hearing two hours of evidence.
Mrs Collins initially claimed the buggy had slipped into the sea after one of its wheels came off but later admitted to gardaí that it wasn't an accident.
"I didn't want to leave them behind. I was suffering so much. It wasn't an accident," she said. "I did push the buggy into the water with the kids in it, and I jumped in afterwards. I told myself we were all going to heaven."
The court heard that Mrs Collins and her two children had been in the water for around 20 minutes before they were spotted and taken out by girls from the local soccer club who had been playing a match nearby.
Mrs Collins was found face down unconscious in the water and Liam was also submerged in the water. Teresa who had managed to stay above the water by hanging onto the buggy, was screaming for help.
The court heard that Liam Collins was given CPR and then rushed to hospital. But he had suffered brain damage and never recovered consciousness. He later developed pneumonia and died in Mayo General Hospital on January 16, 2003.
Mrs Collins, who is being treated with anti-psychotic drugs, was emotionless when the verdict was announced.
The hearing was also attended by Mrs Collins's husband, Paddy, who the court heard had been very supportive of her since the tragedy and had brought her out of hospital a number of times.
PA