Mum suffering from personality disorder is jailed for stabbing toddler son to death

A 47-year-old woman from Ballybrack has been sentenced to five years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the manslaughter of her two-year-old son in October 2014. Hazel Waters pleaded guilty to killing Muhammad Hassan Khan between 15 and 16 October 2014. Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed the sentence, noting that Ms Waters's personality disorder diminished her responsibility for the killing, though he expressed concern about her limited engagement with mental health professionals regarding the circumstances. The judge indicated an appropriate sentence would have been eight to ten years but reduced it to seven years with two years suspended in light of her guilty plea. The sentence was backdated to October 2014 when Ms Waters entered custody. Evidence presented at sentencing indicated Ms Waters was suffering from acute psychotic symptoms at the time. A post-mortem examination found the child died from scissor wounds to the neck. Following her release, Ms Waters must comply with a four-year bond requiring continued medical treatment and residence as determined by probation services.