Maidstone crown court, where the case was heard

by Keith Hunt

A former nurse attempted to smother a young girl with a pillow after referring to the child as "the anti-Christ", a court heard.

Linda King looked up and smirked as she was caught "pressing down" with two pillows on the infant’s face at a house in West Kent.

But the 41-year-old was spared a jail sentence after a judge decided it was in the public interest that she was treated in the community for her mental health and alcohol problems.

King, now living in Cambridgeshire, admitted cruelty to a child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. She denied attempted murder and assault and those charges were left on the court file.

She was sentenced to six months' imprisonment suspended for two years with supervision. She had spent more than six months in custody on remand before being released on bail.

Judge Jeremy Carey told King: "You committed this offence when you were suffering from a depressive illness and also when you had been drinking.

"It meant you were effectively out of control."

Christopher Hehir, prosecuting, said King had a problem with her temper when she had been drinking and was described as a Jekyll and Hyde.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the incident happened in October last year and the child remained unaware of what happened.

When arrested, King, who was working as a mental health nurse in a care home at the time, said: "Arrest me, I’m a loony." She claimed she did not remember the incident.

Charlotte Newell, defending, said it had been "a terribly long road" for King.

"She has had a thorough assessment and is being seen regularly by a community psychiatric nurse at the address she shares with her partner," she said.

Judge Carey said there was every expectation that those who commit such offences would be punished.

"She has already served the equivalent of a 12-month prison sentence," he continued. "Much more fundamentally the punishment in this case is she now has a growing realisation of the dreadfulness of her acts."

The judge spoke of "the somewhat chilling description" of King looking around and smirking when caught committing the offence.

The court did not underestimate the impact on King of being held in custody.

"You are well-educated and with somewhat fragile mental health," he continued.

Judge Carey warned King: "You fail to carry out what is required of you at your peril."