Emma Barker (Jail)

Emma Barker was convicted of the manslaughter of her 2-month-old baby Albert Barker by neglect.

Albert Barker died on 9 December 1912.

It was the second indictment for neglect and manslaughter against one of her five children. It was heard that she had had no fewer than eight illegitimate children of which at the time of her trial four were dead.

Albert Barker was born on 5 September 1912 and had been born a perfectly healthy child. However, it was heard that Albert Barker's neglect started as soon as Emma Barker's neighbour stopped attending him after the birth.

On 12 November 1912 a neighbour called Emma Barker's attention to Albert Barker and told her that she thought that he was dying. It was heard that Emma Barker told the neighbour that she had taken Albert Barker to a doctor, but it was stated that as far as it could be ascertained that she had not done so up until that point.

It was also heard that Emma Barker was heard to have said on several occasions that she wished that Albert Barker was dead.

The neighbour that had attended Albert Barker after his birth said that at the time Albert Barker had been a bonny, fat, and healthy baby, but that when she saw him three weeks later Albert Barker was very dirty and ill.

She said that she saw Emma Barker throw Albert Barker when he was two days old to the foot of her bed and say, 'You rotten little ---- I wish you was dead'.

A woman that went to Emma Barker's house on 20 November 1912 said that Albert Barker was making a peculiar noise and said that Emma Barker told her that Albert Barker had diarrhoea. She said that she advised Emma Barker to take Albert Barker to a doctor as she thought that he was dangerously ill. It was said that after that Emma Barker took Albert Barker to a doctor and said that he told her to feed Albert Barker on pearl barley and milk. The woman said that she gave instructions to Emma Barker on how to feed Albert Barker, saying that she should give him a little brandy and feed him milk and water. The woman said that when she had seen Albert Barker a month after his birth he had been 'a baby anyone might have been proud off'.

At her trial Emma Barker said that she followed out the doctors instructions as best she could. However, it was heard at the trial that Emma Barker did not appear to have known how to look after Albert Barker.

An inspector with the NSPCC said that he had warned Emma Barker several times about the dirty state of the house that she lived in. He said that when he visited her house on 23 November 1912, he found Albert Barker and another child lying on a bed in an upstairs room and said that the room and bedding were in an indescribably filthy state and that the smell there was abominable. He said that there was no ventilation and that the windows were closed. He said that at that time Albert Barker was seriously ill.

A police sergeant that had known Emma Barker for fifteen years said that she had always been dirty and dilatory and addicted to drink.

Albert Barker was taken to the Loughborough Workhouse on 24 November 1912. A matron there said that when he arrived he was emaciated, but clean, and said that he was very ill and was then sent to the hospital where he later died on 9 December 1912.

A doctor at the hospital said that Albert Barker appeared to improve after his arrival and receiving regular feeding and care, but that he eventually got worse.

It was noted that when he arrived, he weighed about 6 1/4lbs where the normal weight for an 11-week old child was between 10 and 12lbs.

The doctor said that when he made his post-mortem, he came to the conclusion that Albert Barker's death was due to malnutrition caused by Albert Barker being unable to assimilate his food. He said that he thought that that state of things was attributable to microbic infection and said that after he visited the house that Albert Barker had been living in that in his opinion the state of it would have been sufficient to account for his disease.

The doctor that had visited Emma Barker's house on 23 November 1912 said that the condition of a feeding bottle that he had seen there was very foul and poisonous and that it would have had a bad effect on Albert Barker's health.

After she was convicted of manslaughter it was heard that it was her second manslaughter conviction.

A man that had known Emma Barker for 20 years said that he had also known her father and said that her father would often complain to him that Emma Barker would rob him of anything she could in order to get drink and that he had often seen her about the town in a disgraceful state.

Emma Barker was sentenced to 18-months hard labour.

She had been a laundress.