Mother, 36, killed daughter, five, by knifing her 15 times then turned blade on herself after lockdowns left her 'petrified' she would die from Covid leaving the girl without her - as she's sent for indefinite term to mental unit

A mother who killed her five-year-old daughter by knifing her 15 times in the throat and chest before turning the blade on herself has been sent to a mental unit.

Sutha Sivanantham, 36, has been left with a colostomy bag and spent several months in hospital after stabbing herself in the stomach at her home in Mitcham.

She stabbed her daughter Sayagi 15 times in the bedroom of their south London flat in June last year, the Old Bailey heard, with two wounds puncturing the little girl's heart. 

The mother had been complaining of mystery ailments for almost a year and her husband said fear of the virus and lockdown restrictions pushed her over the edge.

Sainsbury's employee Suganthan was working when he received the call that his wife had killed their daughter.

He sobbed loudly in the dock as his impact statement was read to the court.

'I believe Covid restrictions may have had a negative effect on her wellbeing,' Mr Sivanantham said. 'She took the restrictions seriously and was petrified about catching the virus.'

Sutha Sivanantham, 36, stabbed her daughter Sayagi 15 times in the bedroom of their south London flat in June last year, the Old Bailey heard

The mother had been complaining of mystery ailments for almost a year and her husband said fear of the virus and lockdown restrictions pushed her over the edge 

The court heard Sutha spoke no English and had been living in the UK since 2006 after an arranged marriage with her husband. He described her as 'a very good mother'.

In the autumn of 2019 she started to complain of mysterious pains and went to A&E several times. By the summer of the following year she complained of dizziness and weight loss as she plummeted to just seven and a half stone.

'The defendant had developed a morbid concern she was suffering from undiagnosed serious illness,' said prosecutor Bill Emlyn-Jones. 'She appears to have become convinced that she was going to die.'

Hospital tests revealed Sutha had been infected with Covid 19 at some point.

'The night before the incident, she had specifically asked her husband if he would take care of the children in the event of her death,' Mr Emlyn-Jones said.

'On the morning of 30th June 2020, she asked her husband not to go to work, but he explained that he had to go, leaving the defendant at home.'

Sutha phoned friends during the day complaining about her health but they were not concerned. At around 4pm neighbours rushed to the flat after hearing the sound of screaming and found a 'bloodbath'.

'They found the defendant on the floor, with a serious stab wound to her abdomen,' Mr Emlyn-Jones said. 'Sayagi, who was lying on the bed, had been stabbed several times in the neck, chest and abdomen.

'A knife was seen embedded in Sayagi's shoulder, which fell out when she was moved to be treated on the instructions of the 999 operator.'

Floral tributes in memory of the five-year-old girl, were left tied to railings outside the flat

Forensic teams and uniformed officers were seen outside the property in Mitcham on June 30

Mother and daughter were both taken to hospital by air ambulance but Sayagi was later pronounced dead. 

NHS worker and neighbour Elsa Gonzales, 47, described hearing screaming and crying coming from the property, where the family from Sri Lanka lived.

When she arrived with her sister - Riza Marfilla, 55 - she discovered the woman wearing only her underwear.

She said: 'I went next door and saw the lady on the floor covered in blood. She had what looked like a knife wound in her stomach.

'I was on the phone to 999 and I tried to see if the young girl was likely to survive but she looked lifeless – there was so much blood everywhere.'

Sayagi was attending a local Tamil class to learn her parent's language, sources close to the family told MailOnline.  

Paying tribute to the young girl, Ms Gonzales said: 'She's so smart and so tough. She was always fighting with the boys when she played.

'She's always smiling at me. She was such a good girl. My heart breaks for her.' 

Another neighbour Riza Marfilla, 55, said: 'It's so sad. She likes Bruno - my dog. Whenever she would see him, she would be shouting ''Bruno! Bruno!''.

Sayagi (left and right) was pronounced dead and described by neighbours as 'such a good girl'

'She is such a sweet child.' 

In hospital Sivanantham told a doctor how terrified she was that she was about to die. 'The defendant told the doctor she had been worried what would happen to her child if anything happened to her and thought her daughter would not be able to live without her,' Mr Emlyn-Jones said.

'She also said that on the day of the murder she had felt as if she was asleep and dreaming; she had known she was hurting herself 'but I didn't realise I was hurting her'.

'The defendant was charged on 11th September 2020 and two letters were seized.

'In one of these she again asks for forgiveness and says she still doesn't 'know what happened to me on that day'.' 

A police cordon was in force at the scene of the incident on June 30 after the stabbing

One psychiatrist who has treated Sutha found the social isolation and stress caused by the Covid 19 lockdown contributed to her serious mental illness.

Another, Dr Nigel Blackwood, told the court: 'At the time of the alleged offences, Ms Sivanantham's mental state appears to have been dominated by hypochondriacal delusional beliefs and was thus abnormal.

'Her behaviour and decision-making were strongly influenced by the content of her psychotic belief.

'However, in my view she likely knew the fundamental nature and quality of her actions at the time of the assault (that is, she was aware that she was engaged in assaultative acts likely to inflict a serious injury on another), and knew that what she was doing was wrong.'

Sutha denied murdering her daughter but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The prosecution accepted the plea.

In his impact statement her husband said: 'I get very emotional having to relive what has happened to my daughter and my wife.'

NHS worker and neighbour Elsa Gonzales , 47, described hearing screaming and crying coming from the flat

He said before the killing the family had lived a 'happy fulfilling and blissful life'.

Since then he has had to give up work and 'each day is a struggle'. Mr Sivanantham said he has not spoken to his wife but accepts she was not responsible for her actions.

'I know that if she was well she would not have been able to kill our daughter,' he said.

Passing sentence Judge Wendy Joseph said the case was a 'terrible tragedy.'

'What is clear is that the ongoing mental illness was not fully appreciated by anyone around her, including her doctors,' the judge said. 'She developed a morbid concern that she was seriously ill and became convinced she was going to die.

'She was due to have further hospital tests the next day and was clearly depressed, possibly about what would be found.

'She went to the bedroom for a lie down. She took Sayagi with her. She also took two knives.'

The judge said the lockdown may have contributed to the mother's illness.

'Information from both her GP and St George's Hospital suggest she had over a period of months following the imposition of lockdown, complained of a range of symptoms beyond those of which she had previously.

'The symptoms included cough, cold, loss of sense of smell, chest pains, dizziness and extreme fatigue.

'As her physical health deteriorated, so did her mental health.'

The judge added: 'A moving statement from Mr Sivanantham makes it clear the devastation wrought on this family by the events of his day.

'He has not and perhaps never will comes to terms with the death of his daughter or the actions of his wife.'

Sutha was sent to be treated in hospital under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.

It will be for the doctors to say when, if ever, she should be released.

Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin from the Met's Specialist Crime said: 'This is a truly tragic and complex case which has devastated the family and community and has had a huge impact on the investigation team. Our thoughts will always be with Sayagi.'