Woman admits killing baby in Warrington
The infant's body was found in woodland in 1998
Last updated 6th Mar 2025
A woman accused of murdering a baby found in woodland in Warrington in 1998 has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
56-year-old Joanne Sharkey changed her plea this morning, as her trial was due to begin at Liverpool Crown Court.
She also pleaded guilty to a charge of concealing the birth of a child.
The body of a newborn baby was found by a dog walker in woodland close to Gulliver's World on 14 March 1998.
The body was discarded in two knotted bin bags - the dog walker discovered the body after poking through the bin bags with a stick.
A pediatrician was at Gulliver's World at the time and confirmed the body was of a baby boy.
He was estimated to have been born at full-term within a few days of being discovered, but his identity, and that of his parents, was not known.
A murder investigation was subsequently launched following the results of a post-mortem.
DNA from the baby and blood found on the bin bags was taken, but no matches were found on the police database.
DNA swabs were then taken from people living locally at the time, but there were still no matches.
A new investigation was launched in January 2022, and through more DNA analysis, the mum, Joanne Sharkey, and dad, were discovered.
It was because a familial link between the baby, and someone who was related to him, had been added to the data base since the last searches were completed.
Sharkey and the baby's father were then arrested on suspicion of murder.
The decision was then taken by Cheshire Police not to take any further action against the father, because he didn't know about the pregnancy, the birth, or subsequent death.
Cheshire Police say Sharkey hid her pregnancy, gave birth at home, and caused the death of the baby in the following hours.
The baby was found with wads of tissue in his mouth and throat.
Sharkey then put the baby's body in bin bags and drove to the site in Warrington, where she left him.
She initially pleaded not guilty to murder and concealing the birth of a child, but just before a trial was due to begin, she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, which was accepted.
Judge Justice Eady saying there was no identifiable reason for a jury to reject the medical evidence she'd read, specifically the psychiatric reports.
Speaking for the prosecution, Jonas Hankin KC said:
"In plain terms the killing is impossible to understand, absent of a moderate to severe mental illness, which substantially impaired Joanne Sharkey's ability to form rational judgement and exercise self-control."
Sharkey clutched a tissue in her hand after being granted conditional bail - she has been told to return to Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing on Friday 21 March.
Detective Inspector Hannah Friend, said:
"The case of Baby Callum shocked the local community 27 years ago, with residents coming together to give him a proper funeral and try to help identify the person responsible for his death.
"Despite his life being cruelly cut short, he has not been forgotten, and his memory has lived on in the local area for the past few decades. Likewise, our efforts to locate who did this to him have not wavered and the case was subject to regular reviews and refreshed searches of the Police DNA Database.
"It was thanks to this that a familial DNA sample was identified, and following a thorough investigation and multiple enquiries, Sharkey was identified, arrested and later charged in relation to Baby Callum’s death.
"While this guilty plea today will bring some closure to what has been a lengthy and complex investigation, ongoing for almost 30 years, the result will not bring back Baby Callum who should have had his whole life ahead of him.
"I would like to thank the team of officers and staff across the entirety of this investigation whose dedication has meant someone has now been held accountable for an innocent baby’s death. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this case."
Rayo Premium