Woman sentenced for manslaughter of baby in Warrington in 1998

At around 10.45am on 14 March 1998, the body of a newborn baby boy was found by a local man out walking his dog with his young son in a wooded area off Camp Road, near to Gulliver’s World.

The baby’s body had been discarded inside two knotted binbags and was discovered after the dog walker became curious as to what was in the bags and poked a hole in them with a stick.

Following the shocking discovery, help was sought from nearby Gulliver’s World and by chance a paediatrician happened to be present and confirmed the body to be a deceased baby boy. The baby was pronounced dead at 11.25am.

The baby was estimated to have been born at full term within a few days of his discovery, but his identity, and that of his parents, was unknown. He was named Callum after the Callands district of Warrington in which his body was discovered.

Due to findings at a post-mortem, Cheshire Constabulary launched a murder investigation.

A full DNA sample was taken from the baby, as well as from blood found on the binbags. This identified the DNA profile of the mother of the baby, however there was no match on the National DNA Database for her. A partial DNA profile for the father was obtained, but again, there was no match on the DNA Database.

As part of the investigation, DNA swabs were taken from a large number of people living locally at the time, but none provided a match. Officers also carried out extensive house-to-house enquiries with hundreds of people being interviewed, enquiries with local hospitals, midwife services, GPs and other medical services, as well as schools, to identify any women or girls who may have given birth recently.

Despite the efforts of police, a large media campaign, and anniversary media appeals in the following years, nothing led to the identification of the baby’s parents.

The case had remained on the list of 'cold' cases for Cheshire Constabulary and was subject to regular reviews, including refreshed searches of the DNA Database and further DNA analysis as advances in science were made.

The current investigation began in January 2022 as part of one of these reviews by Cheshire Constabulary’s Major Crime Review Team.

Through further DNA analysis, the mother of the baby, Joanne Sharkey, and the father were identified. This occurred via the identification of a familial link between the baby and somebody who was related to him, who had been added to the National DNA Database in the years since searches were last completed. Familial DNA identifies samples which have familial similarities to the target sample, which can come from distant or close relations.

Sharkey and the baby’s father were arrested on 28 July 2023 on suspicion of murder. DNA samples were obtained which confirmed that they were the mother and father of the baby. Both were later released on bail while enquiries continued.

Following a thorough investigation, a decision was made to take no further action against the father, the case being that he was unaware of the pregnancy, the birth, or the subsequent death.

Sharkey was charged on 15 April 2024 with murder and endeavouring to conceal the birth of a child.

It was determined that Sharkey had concealed her pregnancy, given birth at her home address and caused the death of the baby in the following hours. The baby was found to have wads of tissue in his mouth and throat.

Sharkey then placed the baby’s body within binbags and drove to the site in Warrington where she left him.

She entered a guilty plea to manslaughter which was accepted by the prosecution based on psychiatric evidence.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Hannah Friend, said:

“The case of Baby Callum has stayed with the local community for 27 years; he has never been forgotten, and his memory has lived on in the area ever since.

“But our efforts to locate who cut his innocent life short have never wavered over the years, and the case was subject to regular reviews and refreshed searches of the National DNA Database.

“It was thanks to this that a familial DNA match was identified, and following a thorough investigation, Sharkey was identified, arrested and later charged.

“I would again like to thank the officers and staff involved throughout this investigation, whether this was back in 1998, or more recently, whose dedication meant someone was brought before the courts to be held accountable for a baby’s untimely death.

“While the sentencing hearing today marks the end of these proceedings, we will continue to remember Callum, as will all those who have been affected by this tragic case.”