Mother, 40, admits killing 10-year-old autistic son she had with celebrity photographer – but denies murder
A mother has admitted killing her disabled 10-year-old boy after suffering a mental breakdown while struggling to care for him during the lockdown.
Olga Freeman, 40, was charged with the murder of Dylan Freeman, who was found dead at their home in Cumberland Park, Acton, west London, on August 15 last year.
The boy was found in the master bedroom of the house lying on his back covered by a duvet with parts of a sponge in his throat and toys had been placed beside him.
A post-mortem examination gave the cause of Dylan’s death as restriction of the airways.
At the time of his death, his father, the celebrity photographer Dean Freeman, was in Spain.
At a virtual hearing on Monday at the Old Bailey, Russian national Freeman denied her son’s murder but admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson QC said the plea was acceptable to the Crown after careful consideration.
Olga Freeman, 40, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of her disabled 10-year-old son, during a virtual hearing at the Old Bailey