A mother who killed her five-year-old daughter has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.

The Metropolitan Police said Sutha Sivanantham, 36, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility of her child Sayagi Sivanantham at a hearing at the Old Bailey.

The girl was found with stab injuries at the family home in Mitcham, south London, on June 30 2020.

The emergency services were called and Sayagi was taken to hospital where she later died.

Her mother who was also found with stab injuries was taken to hospital where she received treatment for ore than two months.

She was a cheeky little girl, always playing with the neighbourhood kids

Sivanantham was then discharged into police custody and arrested.

The Metropolitan Police said she was charged with Sayagi’s murder, but a plea of manslaughter was later accepted at court.

After sentencing Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, described it as “a truly tragic and complex case which has devastated the family and community”.

She said it had also had “a huge impact” on the investigation team whose “thoughts will always be with Sayagi”.

Soon after the stabbing neighbour Elsa Gonzales, 47, had described Sayagi as a “smart kid”, who “was always smiling”.

Ms Gonzales said: “She was a cheeky little girl, always playing with the neighbourhood kids.”