A MOTHER who drowned her seven-year-old son has been cleared of murder by reason of insanity.

In a killing a High Court judge described as “desperately sad”, Christina Acres killed her seven-year-old son George at the family home in Rochford on July 23 last year.

Mrs Acres, 37, of Rochford Garden Way, appeared in the dock this morning dressed in black and surrounded by health care workers.

She did not react as Justice Christina Lambert ordered her to be detained indefinitely for treatment at Brockfield House, a forensic mental health facility in Runwell.

Mrs Acres drowned George in a bathtub believing she was saving him “from a fate worse than death”.

Sentencing Mrs Acres, Mrs Justice Lambert said: “This is a desperately sad case and what happened on that day is an appalling tragedy.

“I’ve heard evidence from your family that you’ve suffered from psychiatric disorders since 2016 and you were diagnosed with an unspecified disorder in 2017 and received treatment.

“Your condition culminated in strangling George and drowning him in the bath where you were living at the time.

“You called your father telling him you had tried to kill George and asked him to come back. You said ‘he wouldn’t die so I drowned him’.

“Your father called his wife who alerted the community psychiatric nurse and then the ambulance service.

“Your father was on the phone as he heard the crew arrive and heard the sounds made by his wife as the awful discovery was made. The facts speak for themselves.

"A normal young boy who was probably looking forward to the summer holidays was killed by his mother. His whole life lay ahead of him. The lives of all you hold dear to you have been irreparably damaged.

“You are not completely well. I’m very aware that as you regain your health you will have to confront what you have done.”