MOTHER POISONED SON WITH MORPHINE IN MURDER-SUICIDE ATTEMPT, COURT HEARS

Louise Cameron appeared in court where prosecutors heard she killed her eight-year-old son, Rhys, by giving him blackcurrant juice laced with morphine and methadone. Family members discovered Cameron unconscious in her bedroom at her home in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, with Rhys beside her. Paramedics attended the scene and stated it was "obvious" the boy had been dead "for some time". Rhys had learning difficulties and issues with his mobility.

Cameron had taken a drugs overdose and left a written note stating she intended to kill herself but was "not dying without" her son. The incident took place last September, when relatives realised upon finding the pair that Rhys was already deceased. The court heard the case constitutes a failed murder-suicide attempt. Cameron was found alive at the scene and subsequently faced prosecution.

The case is proceeding through the courts following the events in Billingham, County Durham. The prosecution's account places Cameron's written note as central evidence of her stated intent. Rhys's death has been linked directly to the poisoned drink Cameron prepared for him. No further confirmed procedural steps have been disclosed in the available source material.