Janice Nix, 67, was found guilty of killing her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, by forcing her to take a hot bath in 1978. Andrea suffered serious burns covering half her body and died in hospital on 13 July 1978, five weeks after the incident. Nix also was convicted of cruelty to Andrea’s older brother, Desmond Bernard, between October 1975 and June 1978, when he was aged seven to nine. Andrea’s death was treated as an accident until Desmond Bernard reported it to police in 2022. Desmond said Nix regularly beat the children for minor issues and that he initially described Andrea’s death as an accident to stop the abuse.
"A woman has been found guilty of killing her five-year-old stepdaughter by scalding her in a hot bath in 1978. Janice Nix, 67, who had denied the manslaughter of Andrea Bernard, punished her by forcing her to take the scalding bath in Thornton Heath, south London, nearly 50 years ago. Andrea suffered serious burns to half of her body and died in hospital on 13 July 1978, five weeks after the incident."
"The jury was told Andrea's death had been treated as an accident until her older brother Desmond Bernard went to the police in 2022. Bernard, now 56, said Nix regularly beat the children, even for things as petty as not folding their clothes "to her standards". Warning: distressing details are included in this article"
"Nix, of Clapham, south London, shook her head before weeping in the dock as she was also convicted of cruelty to Desmond Bernard between October 1975 and June 1978, when he was aged between seven and nine. Giving evidence during the trial, Bernard, now 56, tearfully told jurors that he had initially described his sister's death as an accident because he wanted Nix to stop beating him."
Read at www.bbc.com
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