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A woman has admitted murdering her eight-week-old son.

Hannah Turtle, from Shotton in Flintshire, had denied murdering her baby son James Hughes but changed her plea to guilty on Tuesday.

Turtle, 22, was on trial at Mold Crown Court after James' death in June last year.

She also admitted two counts of poisoning her son with an anti-depressant and three counts of ill treating her son.

Turtle put her own anti-depressant drug in James’ milk bottle.

She also stopped him breathing on three occasions over a 10-day period - the last of which resulted in the baby boy's death.

Turtle had originally denied murder, saying she did not intend to kill her son or to cause him really serious harm, the Daily Post reports.

The trial had heard how Turtle claimed she heard voices telling her she was a bad mother and had confessed to a health worker "I am a murderer, I killed my baby."

The court heard she told the health professional that “I put my hand over his mouth ... I killed him”.

The admission is alleged to have followed a letter she wrote to the police in which she was said to have confessed to being responsible for James' death.

In a further police interview, Turtle was said to have told officers she did not know why she had done what she did, but that she may have done it initially to seek attention and support.

(Image: ANDREW PRICE/View Finder Pict)

Turtle was remanded in custody and will return to court on Thursday where she will be sentenced.

Mr Justice Lewis said there has to be a life sentence for murder but he has to fix a minimum term and take into account Turtle's culpability and her mental state.

The court was told that although the evidence was not presented, both doctors who were due to give evidence prior to Turtle’s guilty plea, diagnosed Turtle with a personality disorder.

Commenting after the hearing, an NSPCC Wales spokesman said: "While it is not yet known why Turtle carried out this appalling murder it is clear that her role as a parent was to protect her child from harm. Instead, she killed her defenceless baby son and it is right that she is now facing justice for her despicable actions.

"James’s life was tragically cut short and it is a sad reality that cases of abuse and neglect most often involve people close to the victims. Babies and young children are entirely dependent on those who care for them and we all have a duty to look out for their welfare."

NSPCC Wales says if an adult is worried about a child, they can call the NSPCC 24/7 on 0808 800 5000 in confidence.

Children and young people can contact Childline at any time on 0800 1111 or access help online at www.childline.org.uk