Liverpool woman admits killing her newborn baby 27 years ago

Joanne Sharkey, 55, pleaded guilty to killing her own baby son, named Callum by police, after being arrested in July 2023 following an investigation that spanned nearly three decades.

The body of the baby, believed to be born at full term, was discovered in Warrington near Gulliver’s World on March 14 1998 by a local dog walker. At the time, the identity of the boy’s parents was not known but they were found after an investigation by the police.

Through DNA analysis, the mother of the baby, Joanne Sharkey, and the father were identified. This occurred via the identification of a familial link between the baby and somebody who was related to him, who had been added to the Police DNA Database.

Both parents were arrested on July 28 2023 on suspicion of murder. The man was released without facing any charges, but the mother Joanne Sharkey, of Denham Close, Liverpool, was charged with murder and concealing the birth of a baby.

At a hearing today (March 6) at Liverpool Crown Court, Sharkey pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and concealing the birth of a child.

Key medical evidence concluded that Sharkey was suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning at the time of the offence. It is understood it impaired her ability to form a rational judgement and to exercise self-control and was a significant contributory factor in causing her to kill her child.

Adam Till, Specialist Prosecutor at Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) West Midlands, said: "The circumstances of his death have deeply affected everyone who has been involved in this case as well as the wider community. He would have been an adult today and it’s devastating to think of the life he could have had.

“We carefully considered and accepted a guilty plea to manslaughter following a thorough review of the psychiatric reports and medical evidence.”

He added: “While the outcome of this case will never bring the baby back, we hope it brings a small measure of comfort to everyone who has been affected by this awful case.”

Joanne Sharkey will be sentenced on March 21 2025.