UK woman who killed son with handsaw gets hospital order, court says it was severe psychotic episode

Indian Express

01-05-2025

A UK woman who killed her six-year-old son with a handsaw and attempted to murder her father has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after a court found she was suffering from a psychotic illness at the time of the attack.
Karolina Zurawska, 35, was found kneeling beside the lifeless body of her son, Alexander Zurawski, in their Swansea home, UK, on August 29 last year. A handsaw lay next to her as paramedics arrived, responding to what neighbours described as 'animal screams' coming from inside the property.
According to Metro.co.uk, Prosecutor Michael Jones KC said: 'First to arrive on the scene were paramedics who discovered Alexander's lifeless body in a pool of blood in the entrance hallway. The defendant was kneeling next to his body with a handsaw at her side.'
Alexander, who had been partially sighted and reliant on a cane after battling a brain tumour, was pronounced dead at the scene. Despite his medical history, the child had reportedly been making a recovery.
'How do you tell him I cut my son's head off?'
After her arrest, Zurawska asked the police: 'How do you tell him I cut my son's head off?'—referring to Alexander's father. She also reportedly told officers: 'I killed my kid with cancer. He almost got through it.'
Later that same day, Zurawska attacked her own father, Krzysztof Siwi, with a knife, saying: 'I'm sorry I have to kill you today.' However, he survived the attack.
Three psychiatric experts concluded she had been experiencing a severe psychotic episode at the time, leading the prosecution to accept the lesser manslaughter charge.
'You are not a wicked mother, far from it'
Sentencing her at Swansea Crown Court on Friday, Judge Paul Thomas KC acknowledged the immense psychological strain Zurawska had been under as a single mother to a child with disability and a full-time career.
'The often-overused word 'tragic' does not begin to reflect the awfulness of what happened that day to Alex,' the judge said, as reported by Metro.co.uk. 'Those that know you and know of your relationship with Alexander have described you as a devoted, loving, caring mother. Your father described you as 'the best'.'
Judge Thomas added that there was 'strong and compelling evidence' that Zurawska's actions were entirely out of character and the result of a severe psychotic break. 'You were suffering from the delusion of hearing voices… You believed that you were being instructed by a demonic force,' he said. 'You are not a wicked mother, far from it.'
Zurawska has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order under the Mental Health Act, meaning she will remain detained in a secure psychiatric facility until medical experts deem her safe for release.