SINGLE MOTHER KILLED SON WITH BLEACH TO PREVENT SOCIAL WORKE

[Daanyeer]

Single mother 'killed autistic son with bleach' as social workers prepared to take him into care

By Stephen Wright and Claire Ellicott
11th February 2010


A single mother allegedly murdered her 'severely autistic' son by poisoning him with bleach while social workers prepared to take him into care.
Satpal Mahal-Singh, 44, was said to be unable to cope with her son, 12, who suffered from severe learning difficulties.
Social workers were discussing taking the boy away from her but had not yet done so.
A major inquiry is now to be launched into whether they should have acted more quickly.
Emergency services went to the family home in Barking, East London, after Mrs Singh dialled 999 at about 10.30pm on Tuesday.
The boy was taken by ambulance to an East London hospital, but pronounced dead a short time later.

Police believe he was poisoned with domestic bleach.
Mrs Singh was arrested on suspicion of murder following medical examinations at the same hospital.
A second boy, aged 11, was also discovered at the property, unharmed. He has been taken into the care of social services.


Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Child Abuse Major Investigation Team are heading the inquiry.
A source said: 'A key consideration will be whether social workers should have moved quicker, and whether this tragedy could have been averted.
'It appears there had been concerns about this boy's welfare for some time and social services were looking to act.'
Neighbours said Mrs Mahal-Singh was a loving mother who appeared to have reached the end of her tether.

Her husband is believed to have left her more than two years ago.
A neighbour said: 'One of her sons was autistic and could be very difficult. It meant she was under a lot of strain and I know she often didn't get much sleep.'
The matter will be the subject of a serious case review.
It comes a month after Doncaster social services was criticised for not intervening in the family of two brothers who tortured two other young boys in an isolated spot in Edlington