A MUM who strangled and drowned her son believed she was “saving him from a fate worse than death”, a court heard.

Christina Acres killed her seven-year-old son George Acres at the family home in Rochford on July 23 last year.

Acres, 37, is on trial for George’s murder.

She admits killing him but denies murder, and a jury must decide if she is not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, or if she is guilty of manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

At Basildon Crown Court this morning, a jury heard evidence from Dr Michael Alcock, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who has treated Acres since the killing.

Dr Alcock stated Acres had developed schizophrenia and, in the run up to the killing she had become severely mentally ill.

He said when she killed her son, she had “lost all concept of reality”.

He told the court: “This is a lady who is severely mentally unwell.

"She’s one of the one in 100 people who develop schizophrenia, and this illness had rapidly developed. At the time, so was so psychotic she was completely out of touch with reality.

“She had previously said the Illuminati were trying to poison the family, and her birthday is on Halloween. She had distorted this background information and believed that witches were following her, and that she, her father, and her child was a witch.

“People who are schizophrenic and psychotic will become absolutely petrified. She believed her son was a witch, and she was so scared she felt she had to take action.

“She believed it was the absolutely the right thing to do, and that is a complete detachment from reality, thinking irrationally in a psychotic way.”

Dr Alcock said Acres has shown behaviours which falls into the legal definition of insanity, and that she needs to be kept contained in a institution and treated over a number of years before it can be proven she would be safe to be released.

He added: “On the day, during this tragic killing, in her mind she was killing a witch. She genuinely believed it would save her child from a fate far worse than death.

“Is killing a witch an offense? It’s so insane.”

The trial continues.