Cody-Anne Jackson jailed for murdering her two-year-old daughter

A young mother who murdered her two-year-old daughter in a "wicked and appalling" act has been ordered to serve at least 16 years in prison.

Cody-Anne Jackson suffocated Macey Hogan on 10 October 2016, but waited several hours before making a "sham" phone call to 999.

Before the killing, she had sent a photo of Macey to the child’s father, along with the message: "Savour the last ever picture… possibly see you in court."

Jackson, from Stoke-on-Trent, had also written a suicide note which said: "There’s nothing for me or Macey, life’s s***."

The 20-year-old initially denied murdering her daughter, but she changed her plea partway through the trial at Stafford Crown Court.

When the case began, prosecutors said Macey’s body had been discovered by police on a floor in a bedroom after 999 was called – with Jackson attempting CPR on the toddler.

Jackson, who has a history of self-harm, was found to have "superficial" injuries to her wrist, neck and chest.

The court had been told that Jackson was angry and resentful towards Macey’s father, Paul Hogan, following the breakdown of their relationship.

Sentencing the student to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years and 114 days, Judge Michael Chambers QC said: "You had the courage to plead guilty and recognise the enormity of what you have done.

"I accept that may have not come easy but this remains a very serious case – for a mother to kill her young child, who depends on her for protection above all others, is a wicked and appalling act.

"This is not a case where you suffered from mental illness. The clear inference is that you thought about killing yourself and decided to kill Macey as well as to prevent her having a life without a mother. That was an expression of utter self-absorption."

Judge Chambers added that it was impossible to know whether the pictures and messages sent to Macey’s father were references to a potential custody hearing, or whether they had a "more sinister" explanation.

Speaking outside court, Detective Inspector Dan Ison of Staffordshire Police said:" We now know that the 999 call was a completely fraudulent call.

"There was clearly direction being given for CPR to be carried out on Macey and we know that she had been dead for some time by that point.

"It was a complete hoax, a sham as Judge Chambers referred to it. It goes to show the coldness of Cody-Anne’s defence."

(c) Sky News 2017: Cody-Anne Jackson jailed for murdering her two-year-old daughter