Baby death mother's jail term cut

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A mother who suffocated her baby daughter 24 years ago has had her jail sentence reduced by appeal judges.

Jennifer Liehne, 43, was convicted of killing seven-month-old infant Jacqueline after a trial last year.

The trial judge, Lord Hardie, called it a "wicked" crime and imposed a 15-year sentence on Liehne, with 10 years in custody and five years of supervision.

However, judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled that she should serve seven years.

Liehne was originally charged with murdering her daughter five days before Christmas in 1982 at a house in Edinburgh .

She was later convicted of a reduced charge of culpable homicide.

The court heard she had assaulted Jacqueline by obstructing her upper airway, restricting her breathing, suffocating her and killing her.

She is at an age now where she is most unlikely to become a parent again Chris Shead, defence counsel

She was also found guilty of assaulting the baby in the weeks leading up to her death.

The trial heard that it was originally assumed the child was a cot death victim and that pneumonia had played a part.

However, when medical experts came to re-examine the case years later they suspected foul play. Others called by the defence at the trial have continued to attribute her death to natural causes.

First offender Liehne appealed against the sentence imposed on her after the trial.

Defence counsel Chris Shead said she maintained her innocence of the charges at the trial and continued to do so.

He argued that the length of the sentence selected by Lord Hardie was excessive and that she had not been convicted of any offences in the period of almost 25 years since the baby died.

'Tragic offences'

The defence counsel said the risk posed by Liehne had been overstated.

He said: "She is at an age now where she is most unlikely to become a parent again."

Lord Osborne, who heard the appeal with Lord Eassie, said it was agreed that the extended sentence imposed on Liehne was incompetent because of the date of the offence.

A background report prepared by a social worker suggested she posed a high risk of reoffending.

However, Lord Osborne said the judges found that "quite inconsistent" with the fact that she had not committed further offences.

The judge said: "It is quite plain that these offences were tragic offences. Doing the best we can we consider that a substantial sentence of imprisonment is necessary and the sentence upon which we fix is one of seven years."