Mother who killed baby daughter walks free

An young Australian mother cried and sobbed after a Supreme Court judge told her she won't be jailed for the accidental stabbing death of her baby daughter.

Nicole Frances Bryan, 23, of Dawesville, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her 15-month-old daughter Chenelle in March last year.

The WA Supreme Court was told today that Bryan, who had been a victim of serious domestic violence, had intended to scare her partner with a long-bladed kitchen knife, but when she attacked him she stabbed her daughter who was in his arms.



Justice Stephen Hall told Bryan: "This is something that you will live with forever'’.

He said her daughter's death was "an insurmountable tragedy’’.

He imposed a two-year jail sentence, which he suspended for two years, given credit for her guilty plea and the 10 months she had already served in custody.

With news video.