The ex-wife of a well-known photographer admitted that they killed their developmentally disabled ten-year-old son when she struggled to cope during the coronavirus pandemic – after calling herself a “messiah”, which I report.
Olga Freeman, 40, collapsed before pushing a sponge into Dylan’s mouth and covering him with a blanket between his toys in their apartment in Acton, West London, in August 2020, reports Times of London.
During a virtual court appearance in a psychiatric hospital, Freeman denied murder, but admitted that he was killed due to reduced responsibility, the newspaper reported.
Dylan’s father, the famous and fashion photographer Dean Freeman (57), was away in Spain at the time of his son’s death.
The boy – who had autism, nearsightedness and significant communication problems – needed care 24 hours a day and attended a special school five days a week.
The Times said according to the Times that local authorities failed to provide Dylan with extra help during the pandemic.
In the week before his death, Freeman spoke about the salvation of the world and a messiah – and insisted that she travel to Jerusalem.
“This is my job: to sacrifice my beloved child to create a balance in this world,” she said in a survey.
Hours before he killed Dylan, the court argued with her ex over his role in caring for their son.
Freita’s friend, Edita Surpickaja, told the court earlier that the mother was struggling to meet Dylan’s needs and that her mental health had deteriorated.
Surpickaja helped Freeman about 12 hours a week, but the local council did not strike despite repeated requests, the court said.
The night before Dylan was found, Freeman sent a message saying, ‘I’m done. Where are you?”
When Surpickaja arrived home, she found Freeman had booked two seats on a flight from London to Tel Aviv – and told her friend not to go into the bedroom.
“We must go to Jerusalem. I did what I did. “Sometimes when things are good, it can be really bad,” Freeman told Surpickaja, according to the Times, which hid the mother’s passport.
Surpickaja recorded a conversation on a phone in which Freeman said she had no choice but to kill Dylan.
After a discussion, the women walk to the Acton police station, where Freeman loudly announces, “I killed my child.”
Freeman told police she tried to “gently kill” him by giving the boy an overdose of hormone treatment for insomnia, but when that did not work, she used her bra and then her hands to strangle him before she the sponge in his mouth.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson told the court that the plea of manslaughter was acceptable.
“The partial defense of diminished responsibility is available to defendant because there was a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms at the time,” he said.
“This is acceptable for the prosecution after careful consideration and extensive further investigation by the officers conducting this investigation,” Patterson added.
The judge adjourned sentencing until Feb. 11 after hearing a defense recommendation that the appropriate course of action would be a hospital order with restrictions.
The father, who had been separated from Freeman for some time, had earlier paid tribute to his deceased son.
“Dylan was a beautiful, bright, curious and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim,” Dean Freeman said.
‘We have traveled together over the years and spent such an unforgettable time in places like Brazil, France and Spain. I can not understand his loss, “he added.
The sad father photographed famous figures, including the Spice Girls, actor Bradley Cooper and model Emily Ratajkowski.
Dean’s father, Robert Freeman, was also a photographer of renowned musicians, including jazz greats John Coltrane and the Beatles, for whom he shot famous album covers in the 1960s.
After the plea, Kristen Katsouris of the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘It was a tragic death of a child at the hands of his mother, who struggled to cope.
“Olga Freeman loved and cared for Dylan for many years, but the stress and pressure of her son’s serious and complicated special needs built up and this, coupled with her deteriorating mental health, led to heartbreaking consequences,” she said.
“We think of all those affected by this case,” Katsouris added.