Joanne Sharkey: Mother Receives Suspended Sentence in 27-Year-Old Baby Death Case

A 55-year-old Liverpool woman has been given a suspended prison sentence for the manslaughter of her newborn baby, whose body was discovered in woodland more than a quarter-century ago.

Joanne Sharkey received a two-year prison term, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility and concealing a birth at Liverpool Crown Court. The charges stem from the death of her infant son, named “Baby Callum” by authorities, who was found in bin bags near Gulliver’s World theme park in Warrington in March 1998.

A Tragic Discovery
The case dates back to 27 March 1998, when a dog walker and his son discovered the newborn’s body in two knotted bin bags in the Callands area of Warrington. A paediatrician from the nearby theme park confirmed the infant, estimated to be full-term, had died within days of birth. Tissue had been stuffed in the baby’s mouth and throat.

Breakthrough in Cold Case
The mystery remained unsolved until January 2022, when a routine cold case review identified Sharkey through familial DNA links. Police arrested Sharkey – then 28 and suffering from postnatal depression following the birth of her first son in 1996 – on suspicion of murder before accepting her plea to lesser charges.

Judge’s Compassionate Ruling
Mrs Justice Eady described the case as “terrible and tragic” but noted Sharkey had lived with the secret for decades, thinking about it daily. The judge determined immediate imprisonment would serve no purpose, citing Sharkey’s impaired mental state at the time and ongoing remorse.

“You had carried this with you the whole time,” Justice Eady told the visibly emotional defendant, who wiped away tears as her family wept in the gallery.

Community Closure
Baby Callum received a funeral at St Elphin’s parish church in Warrington in July 1998, attended by local mourners. While the legal proceedings have concluded, the case marks a somber chapter in the community’s history, finally resolved through advances in forensic technology.