The trial of a woman accused of murdering a baby found in a woodland near a theme park in 1998 has been delayed by the Southport stabbings case.
Baby Callum who was found near Gulliver’s World theme park in Warrington in March 1998, was believed to have been only hours old at the time of his death.
Joanne Sharkey, 54, of West Derby, Liverpool, was charged with murdering the baby and endeavouring to conceal the birth of a child in April this year.
At a previous hearing in July, she denied the murder of the infant who was discovered near the theme park 26 years ago.
The murder trial was due to take place over the course of four weeks, with it beginning on January 14 nest year.
However, a court heard last Friday that the case will be delayed by nearly two months due to a scheduling conflict with the Southport stabbing case.
Joanne Sharkey, 54, of West Derby, Liverpool, (pictured) was charged with murdering ‘Baby Callum’ and endeavouring to conceal the birth of a child
Baby Callum was found by a dog walker weighing 7lb and 8oz. He is believed to have been only hours old when he died (pictured: the baby’s casket at St Elphin’s church)
Detectives named the infant Callum after the Callands district of Warrington where he was found, nearby Gulliver’s World theme park (pictured)
Ms Sharkey’s (pictured) trial originally scheduled on January 14 next year has been delayed by two months due to a scheduling conflict with the Southport stabbings hearing
On July 29, Axel Rudakubana allegedly stabbed three children – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine – to death in an attack which was launched at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.
Rudakubana, from Banks, has since been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing an offensive weapon.
The 18-year-old appeared in court to hear the charges on August 1 and will next appear in court on October 25, with his trail scheduled to start on January 20, 2025.
High Court judge – Mr Justice Goose – is set to hear both Axel Rudakubana’s trial as well as Ms Sharkey’s.
Ms Sharkey’s trial is now due to take begin on March 3, 2025, instead of the previous date of January 14.
According to the charge, Sharkey is accused of murdering the ‘infant child, subsequently named as baby Callum’ between January 1 and March 14 1998.
Sharkey, who sat with her head bowed in the brief July hearing, was released on conditional bail ahead of a pre-trial review hearing on October 18.
Detectives named the infant Callum after the Callands district of Warrington where he was found, as his true identity could not be confirmed.
He was discovered by a dog walker in the area weighing 7lb and 8oz.
Locals donated money to help pay for the baby’s funeral and a headstone which was inscribed: ‘Baby Callum, precious child of God. Laid to rest July 27, 1998. With love, from the people of Warrington.’
150 mourners attended Warrington Cemetery for the funeral service a few months later.
Axel Rudakubana (pictured as a child) has been charged with murdering three little girls and harming 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport
Bebe King, aged six, was killed in the attack at the Taylor Swift dance class in the community centre in the Merseyside town
Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, was also fatally wounded in the attack which shocked the nation on July 29
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine, was also one of three children killed in the incident in Southport
Following his death, an investigation was carried out which saw the DNA of nearly 500 women tested, including a number of schoolgirls.
Thousands more women and girls were spoken to as part of the investigation, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Detective Inspector Hannah Friend, of Cheshire Police’s Major Crime Review Team, previously appealed for people not to speculate online about the ‘extremely emotional case.’
‘Criminal proceedings are now active against Joanne Sharkey, and she has the right to a fair trial,’ the officer said.
‘It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .