topic TEN MONTHS????????? in Community Spirit

TEN MONTHS?????????

katydidthat — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:12:33 GMT

Aussie child killer to be sent home from CanadaBy Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto

Posted 21 minutes ago

PHOTO: Allyson McConnell with her Canadian husband Curtis and their sons, two-year-old Connor and 10-month-old Jayden. (Date unknown) (AAP: supplied)RELATED STORY: Aussie child killer to be released from jail RELATED STORY: Prosecutors appeal mum's manslaughter conviction MAP: Canada

An Australian woman who killed her two sons in Canada three years ago will be deported to Australia on Monday.

Allyson McConnell drowned her two young sons in the family bathtub in the town of Millet, south of Edmonton, in 2010.

After a two-for-one credit and time served, McConnell's six-year prison sentence for manslaughter was reduced to 15 months.

She ended up serving 10 months in a psychiatric hospital.

Canadian immigration officials put McConnell under a deportation order after her sentence ran out on April 4.

Prosecutors in Alberta appealed her conviction and sentence, saying they want her charged with second-degree murder,

However immigration officials have ruled that an appeal is not enough to stop her deportation.

McConnell's former husband Curtis McConnell says he is appalled that someone who kills two innocent children and has only served 10 months for the crime will now be free to start a new family in Australia.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-06/aussie-child-killer-to-be-sent-home-from-canada/4613488

I'll post some other articles with more information, but this short sentence just amazes me so far.

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

katydidthat — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:33:38 GMT

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/woman+convicted+drowning+death+sons+being+released+from/8190293/story.html

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Outrage+McConnell+sentence/8190251/story.html

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/From+archives+felt+like+heart+ripped+Grandmother+recalls/8190267/story.html

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/From+archives+Mommy+darkest+Experts+struggle+grasp+women/8190321/story.html

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

catsnknots — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:43:30 GMT

Wasn't she suffering from Postpartum psychosis?

This is a horrific syndrome to suffer...

These women love their children but flip out due to a situation that is out of their control....

I was diagnosed with Postnatal Depression... but it wasn't.. the thoughts in my head were not of a depressed nature that I would read about and those around me really had no idea what was really happening to me...

I had two kids but chose to have my tubes tied so I would not have to go through those thoughts again... it is an 85% increased chance of it happening again and if you have it a second time there is almost a 100% chance it will happen again...

It was not until 15 years later and my diagnosis of Bi Polar that we realised the significance of my "depression" and what it really was.. and how fortunate I was that I didn't go into a true psychosis.

My heart breaks for this woman, her lost children, her family, her ex husband... and the whole community that has to live with the fact that a loving mother murdered her own children... 😞

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

azureline** — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:47:31 GMT

I would think more than 10 months in hospital was needed? however, mental illness must have been a factor.

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

catsnknots — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:54:04 GMT

You can recover very fast from this type of psychosis

the right medication can make an improvement within a week...

Like any mental illness, with the right medication and support you can be well onto the road to recovery quickly.

The problem is that most women won't go to get help... to this day I have never admitted some of the darkest thought I had... I still won't repeat them now... the fear of having your child removed is scary...

I went to get help with depression... but limited what I said in case they took my son...

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

azureline** — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:54:59 GMT

what if she stops her meds?

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

katydidthat — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:02:58 GMT

Cats, I did a search on that and found no link to say that she was suffering from that. In my links above, it said that she was depressed, suicidal, and that her father got her pregnant when she was 15.

http://motherswhokillchildren.blogspot.com.au/search/label/McConnell%28Allyson%29

Neighbours also testified that Allyson was showing signs of depression leading up to the deaths and had been giving away clothes and a car seat.

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

catsnknots — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:05:41 GMT

what if she stops her meds?

Chances are she will be under strict supervision.. but if she stops her meds she is not going to be a danger to the public.

This is a condition triggered by pregnancy, they believe it is related to the hormones or even the fluctuations of them... women with BiPolar and schizophrenia are more prone to suffer it but it is not exclusive to them. Any woman can experience it...

If she has children she will need to be under the care of a mental health professional during and after the birth.

I hope she does not have anymore kids...

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

catsnknots — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:12:18 GMT

Cats, I did a search on that and found no link to say that she was suffering from that. In my links above, it said that she was depressed, suicidal, and that her father got her pregnant when she was 15.

http://motherswhokillchildren.blogspot.com.au/search/label/McConnell%28Allyson%29

Neighbours also testified that Allyson was showing signs of depression leading up to the deaths and had been giving away clothes and a car seat.

If she has depression there is a very big chance she has psychosis.

most people around would have no idea... but if she is giving away clothes and a car seat to me that indicates a thought process is going on that is not normal...

When I was young a family friend started giving things away...no one thought anything of it... she then tried to kill herself and was subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia...

not even her family realised she had it... and they lived with her...

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

katydidthat — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:20:38 GMT

Well, after reading the stories I linked and some more ... my questions become ...

If she is that ill ... and I read that she is still suicidal, what will happen to her when she returns to Australia?

Why didn't the husband notice anything? Ok, I get that they were being divorced, but she was still the mother of his children. I read that she wanted to take the children back to Australia.

Why didn't she try to get help?

My reaction to this story amazed me ... I saw a bit of the Susan Falls trial in Brisbane and had no trouble cheering when she was acquitted.

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

*pepe — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:22:04 GMT

it would be great if a polar bear ate her before they can ship her back here.

canada's sentencing is even more lenient than ours.

its ridiculous.

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

katydidthat — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:26:59 GMT

The last link I posted had some stats on mothers who kill their children. I had no idea that it happened so often (Canadian stats).

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

freakiness — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:46:16 GMT

I would not want to be on a plane with a suicidal person.

Giving things away can be a warning sign of suicide but most people would not immediately think of that at the time.

I think I'm so happy not to be one of the unlucky ones to unravel so far and have to live with the fall out forever, or until I could find a way to end it as I sure as hell would not want ot live with that knowledge.

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

catsnknots — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:33:23 GMT

Do you realise that you travel on planes, trains and on roads with people every day that are contemplating suicide??? You work with them, can be married to them, are parents to them... are just friends to them as well???

It is a thought that many people have and that most people will never act on.

The very fact that they were getting a divorce probably shows that she was severely depressed and not getting on well with her husband... It was probably the divorce that triggered the mania...

I am not surprised that he did not notice... many men do not know that their partners are suffering PND let alone this type of psychosis. I had a very supportive partner at the time.. I am surprised he stayed as I was very difficult to live with. But he didn't know the depth of my darkest thinking.

Re: TEN MONTHS?????????

polksaladallie — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:37:45 GMT

canada's sentencing is even more lenient than ours.

its ridiculous.

Not quite right, pepe. There are many infanticides (by mothers) due to PPD in Australia, but most are not publicised because the cause is recognised as a medical condition and they are treated accordingly.