Mum who strangled son, 7, and smothered him to death with a cushion is jailed for 18 years
Lesley Speed, 44, strangled Archie Spriggs with a scarf before smothering him with a cushion on the day she and her ex Matthew Spriggs were due at a family court
A KILLER mum has been jailed for 18 years after strangling her son and smothering him to death with a pillow in the midst of a custody battle.
Lesley Speed, 44, murdered her seven-year-old son Archie Spriggs, a week after writing a chilling letter to her ex saying: "I hope this pain lives with you until your dying breath".
She strangled Archie with a scarf before smothering him with a cushion on the day she and her ex, Matthew Spriggs, were due at a family court.
Archie was found dead on his bunk bed by Speed's partner Darren Jones at their home in Church Stretton, Shrops., on September 21.
Mr Jones, who also found Speed on the bathroom floor with self-inflicted knife wounds to her neck, arms and wrists, said she told him: "I killed him. I smothered him. I can't put him through this."
Letters found at Speed's home also said she would "rather that Archie be dead than see him leave with his father".
A jury of 10 women and two men took five-and-a-half hours to find Speed guilty by unanimous verdict following a two-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Speed, who wore a grey cardigan and jogging bottoms, burst into tears when the verdict was read out and shouted: "No, no, you've got it wrong. My kids are my life, they are my world.
"Nothing would make me take their life, my kids are my world. You're wrong, you're wrong."
The court heard the charity worker flipped when she became worried that Mr Spriggs would take Archie to live with him and his new wife in Slovakia.
Speed's new partner Darren Jones, who found Archie's lifeless body, said she was stressed and had sent a string of disturbing text messages before the murder.
One message said: "I don't want to be in this f***** up world."
Another text mentioned her son: "I really don't want to be here. I wish we could just go to the coast and never come back or die so I don't have to feel like this again. I feel like I am losing it and I have an overwhelming feeling I am going to lose Archie."
Jurors heard that Archie was known to social services and had been the subject of an Early Health assessment in the months before his death.
Just one week before the murder, teachers at Rushbury Church of England School in Church Stretton, alerted social services after becoming alarmed at Speed's state of mind.
The court heard how Speed had been diagnosed with depression in 1998 and 2014.
Speed always denied murdering Archie and claimed she found his body hanging from his bunk bed but forensics revealed he had probably been strangled and smothered.
Speed was sentenced today after she became too distressed to appear before the court following the guilty verdict yesterday.
Mr Justice Andrew Nicol said: "I think it probably is best if we leave things to tomorrow. That will give her a chance to compose herself and reflect if she is willing to come back.
Prosecutor Sally Howes QC said: "I understand entirely Mrs Speed's position at the moment, she is in a state of high anxiety and distress.
";My learned friend has said she will not be able to come back into court today."
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