Heartbreaking 1998 police footage shows tragic scene Baby Callum was found after being killed by mum

Cheshire Constabulary have shared the footage after Joanne Sharkey pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility

This footage shows the chilling scene where Baby Callum was found in woodland near to Gulliver’s World 27 years ago.

Cheshire Constabulary have shared the clip after Joanne Sharkey pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after the body of the baby boy was discovered by a dog walker on March 14, 1998.

She also pleaded guilty to endeavouring to conceal the birth of the child.

In the footage, recorded in 1998, it shows the wooded area sealed off by police. In various shots, it shows a residential road on the right of the cordon with the entrance to the wood closed off by police tape.

Woman admits killing baby son who was found dead in woodland 27 years ago

Further aerial footage, also taken in 1998, shows the area where Baby Callum, named after the Callands district of Warrington, was found.

The footage has been released after Sharkey pleaded guilty today (March 6).

She was previously charged with the murder of the infant between March 8 and March 12, 1998, and concealing his birth. Today at Liverpool Crown Court, Sharkey sat in the dock wearing a white cardigan with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail.

She wept as she pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the alternative offence of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and the offence of concealing the child’s birth.

Prosecution barrister Jonas Hankin KC told the court all the elements of a diminished responsibility plea were supported by psychiatrists, the police, the CPS and counsel on both sides.

In plain terms, he said, the killing was “impossible to understand” in the absence of significant mental impairment, which had “substantially impaired her ability to form rational judgment and exercise self-control”.

The case was adjourned to allow for the preparation of presentence reports. Sharkey, of Denham Close, Liverpool, will be sentenced on March 21.

Adam Till, from the CPS, said: “This has been a complex case about a baby whose life was unfairly cut short.

“He would have been an adult today and it’s devastating to think of the life he could have had.

“The circumstances of his death have deeply affected everyone who has been involved in this case as well as the wider community.

“We carefully considered and accepted a guilty plea to manslaughter following a thorough review of the psychiatric reports and medical evidence.

“The evidence concluded that Sharkey’s mental state was significantly impaired at the time of the offence due to a medical condition which diminished her criminal responsibility.

“While the outcome of this case will never bring the baby back, we hope it brings a small measure of comfort to everyone who has been affected by this awful case.”