A jury has been sent out to deliberate on its verdict in the trial of a Birmingham woman charged with attempting to murder a child by interfering with his medication.
Prosecution's Case
Crown prosecutors claim Emma Jane Williams, 41, tried to kill the youngster, who cannot be named under a court order, and was caught in the act by a concealed camera in January this year. Williams, from Pype Hayes in Erdington, told the jury during her trial at Birmingham Crown Court that she had told "a pack of lies" to officers during her post-arrest police interview, and acknowledged that footage from a hidden camera showed her using a syringe to introduce a substance into the boy's medication.
Denial and Defense
Williams denies a single count of attempted murder, alleged to have taken place on the day of her arrest. The jury was sent out to reach its verdict on Thursday afternoon. Judge Paul Farrer KC instructed jurors to put the notion of majority verdicts "entirely out of your minds" and return a unanimous decision. He further stated: "I don't know how long it will take you to reach your verdict in this case, but can I stress, you are under absolutely no pressure of time. You must take whatever time you need, regardless of whether that is a short time or a long time."
Evidence Presented
When presenting the prosecution's opening argument at the start of the trial, barrister Timothy Harrington claimed Williams "was plotting the demise" of the alleged victim and had used her mobile phone to research the effects of particular liquids on specific types of medicine. Mr Harrington informed jurors: "The defendant tried to kill (the boy) and she did so by interfering with his important medication on a number of occasions."
Taking the witness stand on Tuesday, Williams acknowledged conducting Google searches, including one for "the worst thing you could mix" with the boy's medicine. She explained to the court: "I just thought that he might get... an iffy tummy and need to go to the toilet. I did not intend to cause him any serious harm. When I watch the video back I kind of don't recognise the person."
Defendant's Background
Williams, who the court was told received benefits and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder linked to health issues, stated she was "in crisis and crying out for help" at the time of the alleged murder attempt.
