Woman convicted of manslaughter in 1978 scalding bath death

A woman has been convicted of manslaughter nearly five decades after forcing a five-year-old girl into a scalding bath as punishment. Janice Nix, 67, was found guilty at Isleworth Crown Court for the death of Andrea Bernard at a family home in Thornton Heath, south London, in 1978. She was also convicted of cruelty towards Andrea's older brother, Desmond Bernard, between 1975 and 1978.

Andrea's death had been recorded as an accident until Desmond Bernard approached police in 2022 with a new account of events. During the trial, Mr. Bernard, now 56, testified that he had originally described his sister's death as an accident because he wanted Nix to stop beating him. He told jurors he lived in constant fear of her abuse.

The court heard that on June 6, 1978, Nix was furious after Andrea disregarded instructions to stay indoors and help with cleaning. Nix shouted at Andrea before beating her. Mr. Bernard testified that he then heard the bath running. He said he heard Andrea pleading that the bath was too hot, followed by screaming and splashing. When the screaming stopped, he heard Nix calling for Andrea to wake up.

Mr. Bernard entered the bathroom and found Nix cradling Andrea, who...