- Sadie Jenkins, 28, started taking cannabis aged 11 and took amphetamines
- She was found not guilty of the two small children by reasons of insanity
- Cardiff Crown Court heard Jenkins slashed the children with a steak knife
- A Judge imposed a two-year supervision order on Jenkins with drug tests
Sadie Jenkins, pictured, slashed the
throats of two children while high on cannabis because she received a
secret message from a US TV show
A
woman who slashed the throats of two children as they slept was told by
a judge that she would not be sent to prison because she was
'temporarily insane' due to heavy cannabis use.
Sadie
Jenkins, 28, of no fixed abode, was staying overnight in the home in
Newport, South Wales when she went into the bedroom of a 16-month-old
girl and a seven-year-old boy, carrying a steak knife.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Jenkins, 28, slashed the two children, when the two homeowners entered room and disarmed her.
As they grappled with Jenkins, she shouted: 'Sorry, it had to be done.'
The
baby girl’s throat was 'slashed open and bleeding' and the boy’s neck
had a 'gaping wound' at the house in Newport, South Wales.
The
two injured children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were taken
to the Royal Gwent Hospital and underwent immediate surgery to treat
A
judge today imposed a two-year supervision order on Jenkins ordering
her to be drug tested frequently and provide body samples at least once a
week.
Mrs
Justice Carr told Jenkins: 'At the time of the attack you were in the
grip of psychosis as a result of illegal drug taking on a a daily basis
and you deliberately withheld information from your GP.
'Once can only hope that you understand the consequences of drug taking.'
But
the judge told Cardiff Crown Court she was 'troubled' by the fact that
under the supervision order there was no provision for medical
treatment.
The
court heard that 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, of no fixed abode, denied
the attempted murder of the two children and claimed she was 'legally
insane' at the time of the attack because her prolonged drug use had
made her psychotic.
Jenkins started taking cannabis when she was aged just 11 and also took amphetamines regularly
Jenkins was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity following a trial earlier this year
Prosecutor
Paul Lewis said: 'She has been seen my mental health professionals and
two consultant forensic psychiatrists have come to the conclusion that
at the crucial time she was suffering from an amphetamine induced
psychotic illness.
'The
doctors are of the opinion that when she attacked the children, her
mental condition was such that she knew what she was doing but she
didn’t know that her actions were wrong.'
Jenkins told doctors she thought she was saving the children from “a fate worse than death” when she slashed their throats.
Her lawyer Patrick Harrington QC told the court: 'She vociferously asserts she is living a decent honest life now.
'She has tested negative in every drug test and then indications are she is not taking any substances.'
Jenkins believed that the mafia were out to get her and that she had received a secret message from US TV show CSI.
Mrs Justice
Carr today imposed a supervision order on Jenkins after medical
professionals agreed that detaining her in a mental health facility was
not appropriate, neither was an absolute discharge
She told a doctor: 'I picked up the sharpest knife because I wanted it to
be quick and easy.'
The
court heard that Jenkins started smoking cannabis aged 11 after being
bullied in school and suffering the death of her father.
On
Friday she sobbed quietly in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court as as
order under the Mental Health Act was made by Mrs Justice Carr.
She told Miss Jenkins: 'This has been a tragedy for the children. They will be physically and emotionally scared forever.
'You were under stresses at the time but there was no excuse for your drug-taking.'
The
court heard medical experts had agreed Miss Jenkins did not need
hospital treatment and the judge said an absolute discharge - one of the
other disposals available to the court under the Criminal Procedure
(Insanity) Act 1964 following the jury’s verdict - was not appropriate.
The only other option was intensive supervision under a named supervising officer.
The judge said the officer would be 'carrying a heavy burden' but was aware of what she was taking on.
Patrick
Harrington QC, for Jenkins, who has now been found accommodation at an
undisclosed address, said the offcer was 'going into it with her eyes
open' having fully appraised herself of the situation and of Miss
Jenkins’ background.
The
judge told Miss Jenkins, of Newport: 'For some months [prior to the
attack] you had been taking amphetamine on a daily basis - information
you deliberately withheld from your GP.
'One can only hope now that you understand the consequences of your drug-taking and the wider public also understands.'
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