Lichfield mother guilty of children's murders

A mother who killed her young son and daughter in a Spanish hotel room after fleeing Staffordshire has been found guilty of their "abominable" murders.

Lianne Smith, aged 45, faces decades behind bars for smothering 11-month-old Daniel and five-year-old Rebecca with a plastic bag at the Miramar Hotel in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava in May 2010.

A jury at the Provincial Court in Girona, north east Spain, last night found her guilty of murder charges after deciding she was criminally responsible for the children's deaths.

Smith asked for an acquittal, claiming she was in a state of "psychiatric disturbance" and suffering insurmountable fear when she killed the youngsters. But the jury rejected her claim.

Smith, who used to work for Walsall education provider Serco, remained calm when the verdict was read out. Victor Pillado Quintas, for the prosecution, asked for her to be jailed for a total of 34 years.

Judge Adolfo Garcia Morales is now expected to release a written sentence in the coming weeks.

During his closing remarks, Mr Pillado Quintas described the killings as "horrid, vile and despicable". Speaking outside the courthouse, he said: "Justice has been done, these were abominable crimes."

The murders took place shortly after Smith's partner, Martin Smith, was arrested in Barcelona.

The family had been living in Spain since 2007 after fleeing Deykin Road, Lichfield, because Smith's eldest daughter by her first husband accused Mr Smith of raping her.

Martin Smith was later found guilty of sexually abusing Sarah Richardson, who waived her right to anonymity. Last January, the 46-year-old was found hanged in his prison cell.

By Simon Stone