Mum who killed newborn baby with scissors dies inside Styal Prison

A mum who stabbed her newborn baby to death with a pair of scissors has died inside Styal Prison. Rachel Tunstill was twice jailed for life for the murder of her daughter Mia Kelly.

She was first convicted for her daughter's murder in June 2017 and handed a life sentence, Wales Online reports. That conviction was quashed the following year by the Court of Appeal.

At the time, judges ruled that lesser charges should have been considered. But following a retrial, Tunstill was again found guilty of murder in February 2019, when she was handed another life sentence.

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The Prison Service confirmed today (August 1) that Tunstill, who was housed at HMP Styal in Cheshire, had died. A spokesperson said: “HMP Styal prisoner Rachel Tunstill died in custody on August 1, 2023.

"As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.” The circumstances around the death are currently unknown.

Tunstill was ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years in prison following her last sentencing. Liverpool Crown Court heard Tunstill had given birth while her unsuspecting boyfriend played computer games in the next room in January 2017.

She told him she was having a miscarriage and asked him for scissors before stabbing Mia 14 times just after she was born, it was said. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been approached for a comment.

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