A mother who stopped on a highway late in the evening and stabbed her two children because she thought they were in danger, no criminal law will be confronted with it.
Supreme Court Justice Sandi McDonald found Megan Jayne Somerville, 37, not to try to kill her two sons in 2022 through mental incompetence.
Justice McDonald discovered, without reasonable doubt, that Mrs Somerville stuck her two children on the side of the North-South highway of Adelaide, but did not know that this was wrong.
“The objective elements of the violations are determined without reasonable doubt,” she said.
“Mrs Somerville was mentally incompetent to commit the two offenses of attempted murder and at the time of the incident she suffered from mental disorders and did not know that the behavior was wrong.”
The judge discovered that her “mental disability was considerably caused by self -induced intoxication,” the advertiser reported.
“Mrs Somerville is not guilty of the violations of attempted murder through mental incompetence.”
The police were called to the Noord-Zuid highway on 15.30 on 15 August 2022 after reports a woman was held by a member of the public.
Supreme Court Sandi McDonald found Megan Jayne Somerville (photo) not guilty of trying to kill her two sons in 2022 by mental incompetence
Justice McDonald discovered, without reasonable doubt, that Mrs. Somerville (photo) stabbed her children on the side of the North-South highway of Adelaide, but did not know that this was wrong
The court previously heard Mrs Somerville stopped her Silver Honda Sedan and took her sons, at the time of 3 years old and 8 years from the car.
She then stuck them 'a few times' with a knife.
The court also heard that Mrs. Somerville used meth, cannabis and prescription medication that night.
A forensic psychiatrist said that Mrs. Somerville's report about what happened, included a fear that she and her boys were in great danger.
“She had such serious delusions that were of a certain nature who meant that she thought her children were in danger that a lot was worse than death, that they were cared for to kill her, and when that was done, they would be abducted and killed,” the psychiatrist said.
“When harming the children, she thought she did the right thing in the circumstances.”
Public Prosecutor Lucy board SC said that there would probably be a victim impact statement when Mrs. Somerville returned to court in June.
