Sara Jade McCullock: Judge alone trial for mentally ill mum who allegedly killed baby boy in ‘disturbing’ case

A young mother charged with murdering her 14-month-old boy inside their Madora Bay home in “disturbing” circumstances has been granted a trial by judge alone. Police were called to Sara Jade McCullock’s home on the morning of April 27, 2022 after neighbours reported hearing “loud bangs”, yelling and a commotion. The Supreme Court of WA was told on Tuesday that when officers arrived, she was playing loud music, walking around the house laughing and holding her unresponsive, bloodied son Jace. She did not respond to the officers, who gave the boy emergency first aid until paramedics arrived. Tragically, he could not be saved. Justice Amanda Forrester outlined how Ms McCullock’s mother, who she lived with, and sister had become concerned with her “erratic” behaviour the night before. She had not been taking her medications and they could not persuade her to do so. When they left the property around 7.30-8pm, Jace was asleep in his mother’s arms. Justice Forrester said Ms McCullock had told police who arrived at the shocking scene that someone had entered the home and committed the crime. But later at WA’s secure psychiatric facility, the Frankland Centre, she said she killed the boy because “she believed he would be tortured for all eternity” and wanted to spare him from that. Prosecutor Michael Cvetkoski said the accused, who fronted the court in person, admitted causing Jace’s death by striking his head on the tiled floor while she was home alone suffering delusions. He said the State did not oppose a non-jury trial and was not contesting Ms McCullock was of unsound mind at the time. Mr Cvetkoski said like all crimes involving the taking of a life, the nature of the offending was “graphic and disturbing” but a jury would be able to view the evidence and come to a factual finding. The complex nature of expert opinions, however, was why the State agreed with the defence that the trial should be heard before a judge alone, he said. Justice Forrester said the case was “not that complex” and was largely a technical argument not incapable of being understood by a jury. Psychiatrist Adam Brett had concluded Ms McCullock was deprived of both the capacity to control her actions and the knowledge that she ought to not do the act. Psychiatrist Victoria Pascu found that she was deprived of the latter but not the capacity to control her actions, although she was significantly impaired by her mental illness. Ms McCullock was diagnosed by both experts as suffering paranoid schizophrenia. Justice Forrester said the boy’s injuries were “certainly distressing” but that alone would not mean she would get an unfair trial before a jury. A factor in deciding a judge-alone trial was in the best interests of justice was evidence of her previous behaviour that would be discrediting to a jury, Justice Forrester said. Also, it would be shorter, causing less distress to everyone involved. She said a trial date should be set as soon as possible, given the case had “been around for quite some time”. Justice Forrester told Ms McCullock she would hopefully get that date at a status conference on May 2. She was remanded in custody. Lifeline 13 11 14