Six years into her 17-year-long sentence for stabbing her baby with a pair of scissors, Rachel Tunstill dies in prison.
Back in 2017, she stabbed her baby girl, Mia Kelly, more than 15 times in the bathroom of their Burnley home and threw her lifeless body in a bin.
Tunstill was initially convicted of murder and handed a life sentence with minimum term of 20 years, but a re-trial proved the jury in the case should have been offered a verdict of infanticide to consider. During the re-trial she was once again convicted of murder and put behind bars for a minimum of 17 years.
“HMP Styal prisoner Rachel Tunstill died in custody on 1 August 2023. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate,” a spokesperson from the Prison Service confirmed the news of her passing.
At the time she gave birth, her boyfriend was playing video games in the next room. She then told him she had a miscarriage and asked for the scissors after which she remorselessly stabbed the baby to death.
At the time of sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice King, said: “This must have been a sustained and frenzied attack on a victim who because of her age was particularly vulnerable. Her duty to her newborn baby was to cradle and comfort her – not to stab her to death.
“There was here in my judgement concealment of the body, albeit short-lived and in addition there was undoubtedly the indignity which was wrought upon the body by disposing of it in the way she did.”
Credit: Liverpool Echo
Tunstill was a university master’s graduate in forensic psychology.
“She showed no emotion or remorse for stabbing her baby to death,” said Mr Justice King.
A Heartwarming Story of Kindness
Have you ever found yourself in a predicament where you were incredibly motivated to take action but lacked authorization? Everybody has been there. And believe me, you will be moved by this endearing tale of a young child discovering kindness!
This young girl’s curiosity overcame her one fine afternoon, and she boldly knocked on her neighbor’s door. Crickets. Nothing at all. Nothing. Did she give up, though? Oh no. No, please! very, she came up with a considerate and very brilliant idea: penning a sincere note and hiding it in their mailbox.
Can she use their basketball hoop to shoot hoops after school? was the straightforward but sincere query she posed in her letter. Now, while this might not seem like much, it meant a lot to her. Uncertain about their reaction, she waited nervously for their reply.
The story becomes more complex. She was pleasantly surprised to see what was in her mailbox when she checked later! Her neighbors, those magnificent creatures, had composed an incredibly polite response. They not only agreed to let her use the basketball hoop, but they also urged her to play with it extensively. What a slam dunk in terms of decency!
In a time when individuals might be overly attached to their belongings, this modest yet impactful gesture of kindness warmed our hearts. With only one act of kindness, the young girl was able to get some exercise and pleasure after school and had her trust in humanity’s inherent goodness restored.
The really interesting part is that this story serves as a subtle reminder of the power of compassion, rather than being solely about basketball hoops or letters. It’s as simple as adding a dash of cinnamon to a steaming cup of coffee—a tiny but crucial addition. Thus, seize the opportunity to make someone happy the next time it presents itself. You never know how much it might matter to them, after all.
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