After speaking with the child’s family, Karen Foster, who was scheduled to stand trial for the murder of nine-month-old Harlow Collinge, entered a guilty plea to the charge of manslaughter last Friday.
The 62-year-old’s plea was based on the claim that Harlow died as a result of “forceful shaking” after he fell out of his high chair, began wailing, and she shook him out of exasperation, Preston Crown Court heard.
Harlow was described as a “happy, healthy, much-loved” boy by Mr. Justice Barry Cotter in court, but Foster continued to babysit in spite of her poor health and hip problems.
After pointing out that she worked longer than was appropriate for her given the regulations set forth by Ofsted, he said this contributed to her “loss of temper” and that “you should have been a safe pair of hands that Gemma Collinge could ensure her precious child.”
“I’m sure that part of the reason you lost it on March 1, 2022, was that you couldn’t handle the responsibilities of raising four kids. It was him who was on the receiving end when you lost your cool.
“You gave a [almost] 10-month-old child such a hard shake that it resulted in severe injuries. A violent incident resulted in his death.”
