British woman arrested in Finland for the murder of her child

Police in Finland responded to a call on January 19. A child, believed to be two years old, was found murdered in their home. Police arrested the child's 35-year-old mother as the murder suspect. It is reported that the woman admited murdering her child.

A British citizen who had been residing in Espoo, 11 miles west of Helsinki, since January 2019 is being tried for the murder of her child. The police have not revealed the gender of the child and the name of the defendant. However, it is known that the mother is from the United Kingdom and the child is of British-Canadian origin.

The woman has been arrested under the West Nyland District Court of Finland. On Wednesday, the woman appeared in a wheelchair for her first day in court at Western Uusimaa District Court. Police informed the court that the woman had confessed her crime. According to the police reports the woman and the child were the only occupants of the apartment where the child was found dead. This made the police arrest the mother as a murder suspect before she admitted to the murder.

Local media reported that the family had been living in different parts of the world. It is believed that the family spent time in the UK, Canada, and China before settling down in Finland last year. The Sun reported that the mother is thought to be a teacher by profession. Sky News shared what the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had to say about the incident.

FCO confirmed that the child was of British-Canadian origin. FCO also stated that they are in touch with the Canadian government. Consular support required by the British citizen will be provided by FCO staff when and if needed.

The Finnish police are investigating the incident as a murder. Due to the Preliminary Investigation Act, the police have refrained from sharing pre-trial information with the public. The woman will be returning to court on April 17 for the next hearing.