Mum guilty of killing her son and hiding his mummified body

Kimberly Hainey, 37, was found guilty for killing her toddler son, Declan, and hiding his body, pretending he was alive all the time.

The remains of the baby were discovered in his cot back in March, 2010. According to reports, he had last seen public back in July of 2009.

Hainey, a former drug addict, used to tell her family and health workers that he was alive. When meeting her family, she would say he was at nursery and made up stories about what he did there.

When drug counsellors wanted to visit the house, Hainey would come up with repeated excuses as to why they couldn't visit.

Concerns for Declan began after his birthday, when Hainey started abusing alcohol. According to witnesses, Hainey would leave him alone while she went out drinking.

Her relatives found the baby's body. Declan was in the cot and beside him lay a dirty nappy and the cellophane wrap from a packet of cigarettes. He had been dead for months, although the experts could not establish the cause of death.

The mother repeatedly said in court he had died in his sleep; she claimed to have suffered a breakdown and was pretending to herself he was still alive.