The ex-wife of a famous photographer has admitted to killing their 10-year-old son with developmental disabilities as she struggled to cope during the coronavirus pandemic – after calling herself a ‘messiah’ who was supposed to be ‘my beloved child sacrifice, ‘said a report.
Olga Freeman, 40, suffered a breakdown before shoving a sponge into Dylan’s mouth and covering him with a blanket between his toys in their Acton, West London apartment, in August 2020, the Times of London reported.
In a virtual lawsuit Monday from a psychiatric hospital, Freeman denied murder but admitted he committed manslaughter as a result of diminished responsibility, the news center reported.
Dylan’s father, celebrity and fashion photographer Dean Freeman, 57, was away in Spain at the time of his son’s death.
The boy – who had autism, myopia, and significant communication problems – needed day and night care and attended special school five days a week.
The court was told that local authorities had not given Dylan extra assistance during the pandemic, the Times said.
In the week before his death, Freeman spoke of saving the world and being a messiah – and urging her to travel to Jerusalem.
“My job is to sacrifice my beloved child to create balance in this world,” she said in a recording.
Hours before Dylan was murdered, the Russian citizen argued with her ex about his role in caring for their son, the court heard.
Freeman’s friend Edita Surpickaja previously told the court that the mother struggled to provide for Dylan’s needs and that her mental health had deteriorated.
Surpickaja had helped Freeman for about 12 hours a week, but the city council did not intervene despite repeated requests, the court was told.
The night before Dylan was found, Freeman sent a message saying, “I’m done. Where are you?”
When Surpickaya arrived at the house, she discovered that Freeman had booked two seats for a flight from London to Tel Aviv – and told her friend not to go to the bedroom.
‘We have to go to Jerusalem. I did what I did. Sometimes when things are good it can be really bad, ”Freeman told Surpickaja, who, according to the Times, hid the mother’s passport.
Surpickaja recorded a conversation over a phone in which Freeman said she had no choice but to kill Dylan.
After a discussion, the women walked to the Acton police station, where Freeman loudly announced, “I killed my child.”
Freeman told police she had tried to ‘kill him gently’ by giving the boy an overdose of a hormone treatment for insomnia, but when that didn’t work, she used her bra and then her hands to strangle him before inserting the sponge. his stopped. mouth.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson told the court that the plea for manslaughter was acceptable.
“The partial defense of reduced responsibility is available to the defendant on the grounds of a major depressive episode with psychotic symptoms,” he said.
“That is acceptable to the prosecution after careful consideration and extensive further investigation by the officers conducting this investigation,” added Patterson.
The judge suspended the conviction until February 11 after hearing a recommendation from the defense that the appropriate action would be a hospital order with restrictions.
The father, who has been separated from Freeman for some time, has previously paid tribute to his late son.
“Dylan was a beautiful, intelligent, inquisitive and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim,” said Dean Freeman.
“We have traveled extensively over the years and so spent memorable time in Brazil, France and Spain, among others. I cannot understand his loss, ”he added.
The grieving father has photographed famous figures including the Spice Girls, actor Bradley Cooper and model Emily Ratajkowski.
Dean’s father, Robert Freeman, was also a photographer of famous musicians, including the great jazz John Coltrane and the Beatles, for whom he made famous album covers in the 1960s.
Following the confession of guilt, Kristen Katsouris of the Crown Prosecution Service said, “This was a tragic death of a child at the hands of his mother, who was struggling to cope.
“Olga Freeman had loved and cared for Dylan for years, but the tension and pressure of her son’s serious and complex special needs had increased and that, coupled with her impaired mental health, had devastating consequences,” she said.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this case,” added Katsouris.