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MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Olga Freeman admits suffocating autistic son, 10, with sponge as she suffered mental breakdown during lockdown

Dylan, who was the son of Olga and celebrity photographer Dean Freeman, was found dead on August 16, 2020
PUBLISHED JAN 25, 2021
Olga Freeman (Metropolitan Police)
Olga Freeman (Metropolitan Police)

A 40-year-old mother has confessed that she suffocated her autistic son that led to his death after suffering a mental breakdown during the first phase of the Covid-19 lockdown. However, Olga Freeman denied the murder of ten-year-old Dylan, who was also the son of celebrity photographer Dean Freeman. The 40-year-old admitted that she put a sponge into the mouth of Dylan and left him to die in her flat in Acton, west London in August last year. The kid was found dead in the master bedroom of the £544,000 ($719,000) apartment in Cumberland Park on August 16, 2020, after the mother walked into a police station and confessed what she'd done.

The Daily Mail reported that Dylan had Cohen Syndrome - a genetic disorder that results in diminished muscle tone (hypotonia), abnormalities of the head, face, hands, and feet, eye abnormalities, and non-progressive intellectual disability. The victim was also autistic and his mother and the former wife of Dean -- who captured members of the Spice Girls and David Beckham -- had struggled to care for him in the six months before his death. Olga made her appearance in the court via video-link from a psychiatric unit and confessed to suffocating the child and admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

According to Olga’s defence lawyer Jane Bickerstaff QC, she had been “suffering from a depressive illness with psychotic symptoms”. While prosecutor Gareth Patterson QC said the Crown has accepted the plea after mindful deliberation. “The defendant was recently transferred to hospital under the Mental Health Act. The prosecution received from the defence a psychological report from Dr David Bird. The partial defence of diminished responsibility is available to the defendant on the basis there was a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms at the time. That is acceptable to the prosecution after careful consideration and extensive further inquiries by the officers conducting this investigation,” Patterson said.

Joel Smith, prosecuting, earlier told the court, “A friend and ex-partner of the defendant, Edita Surpickaja had noticed that the defendant had been struggling to met Dylan's care needs for the last year as he became older and bigger and more difficult to care for. Around six months ago Dylan's behavior had become especially challenging. Dylan had attended a special school for five days per week but during the lock-down had not been able to attend school. The burden of care had fallen on the defendant with assistance from Ms Surpickaja.”

“Ms Surpickaja had only been able to offer that assistance for around 12 hours per week and had noticed a decline in the defendant's mental health. The defendant had sought assistance from the local council, but Ms Surpickaja would tell the police, had received none. Around 14 August 2020, it appears that the defendant argued with her ex-husband, Dylan's father, about his role in caring for Dylan. At the police station, the defendant told the police that she had killed the deceased before midnight and that she had tried to ‘kill him softly’ by giving the deceased ‘a lot’ of melatonin. She told the police that as this had not worked she had used her bra and then her hands to kill her son and had put a sponge in his mouth to help him go softly. She had then placed his body where he liked to sleep with his toys to allow him to die with 'dignity and kindness'. She was then arrested and made no comment,” Smith added.

Smith also mentioned that Olga was suffering from delusions of grandeur and started believing that she was “Jesus”. The accused even said to Surpickaja that she was required to go to Jerusalem. “She told her she was the second Jesus,” the prosecutor stated while at Acton police station, she told officers twice, “I killed my child.” Police discovered a bra, sellotape, melatonin, and a sponge from the crime scene.

Dylan’s father, Dean -- who also took pictures of stars like Bradley Cooper and Emily Ratajkowski -- issued a statement earlier that stated, “Dylan was a beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim. We travelled extensively over the years together spending such memorable time in places including Brazil, France and Spain. I can't begin to comprehend his loss.”

Meanwhile, Olga was placed at the medium secure Orchard Unit in Ealing. She has been there since the day one of her arrest. She will reportedly be sentenced on February 11. Kristen Katsouris, from the CPS, was quoted as saying, “This was a tragic death of a child at the hands of his mother who was struggling to cope. Olga Freeman had loved and cared for Dylan for many years, but the strain and pressures of her son's severe and complex special needs had built up and that combined with her impaired mental health led to heart-breaking consequences. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this case.”

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