A mother who was struggling to cope before killing her autistic son has been jailed for life.
Claire Button, 36, smothered her son Lincoln Button, five, to death in the family home in South Ockendon, Essex, in December.
After killing her son, Button then overdosed on pills and cut her wrists in an attempt to end her life, the court heard today.
Button, of Windstar Drive, South Ockendon, had struggled with her mental health and had tried to get help before the tragedy.
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She had scribbled a note that said ‘he does not fit in the world and where he doesn’t fit I don’t either’ following Lincoln’s death.
Judge Samantha Leigh described the trial as ‘one of the hardest I’ve heard in almost 30 years.’
She said that Button was described at trial as a ‘loving, caring mother to her son.’
The judge said that Lincoln ‘was, as a result of his autism, very challenging indeed,’ was non-verbal and had outbursts and meltdowns.
She said he would ‘sometimes want to go out 10 to 15 times per day’ to ride his scooter.
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On the day of the incident, Lincoln had a meltdown at a supermarket where he was ‘obsessed’ with the sliding doors.
The judge said when Button returned to the family’s flat with Lincoln she decided to end her own life and his.
‘She was desperate and couldn’t see a way out of what was going on,’ the judge said.
Judge Leigh said Button had tried to seek help ‘on a number of occasions.’
On the day of the murder and the attempt on her life, she had called an ambulance, but was told ‘there was a 10-hour wait.’
Button had admitted to the lesser charge of manslaughter and denied Lincoln’s murder, which happened on December 15 last year.
However, she was found guilty by a jury.
The mum faces a life in prison with a minimum term of nine years before being eligible to apply for release.
Lincoln, who was known as Link, was known as a ‘cheshished, loved, sweet beautiful young soul who was adored by all and will be sorely missed every day,’ his family said in a tribute previously.
Bonnygate Primary School, where Lincoln was a Year One student, described him as a ‘cheeky, smiley, happy boy.’
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