In January 2010, 45-year-old Fiona Donnison walked into a police station in Heathfield, East Sussex, and told officers she had killed her children. Hours earlier, she had smothered her two young children, 3-year-old Harry and 2-year-old Elise, then packed their bodies into holdalls and locked them in the boot of her car.

Investigators revealed the murders were part of a calculated plan to inflict maximum pain on her former partner. Prosecutors described her as using the children as “ultimate pawns,” driven by a mix of jealousy, rage, and entitlement.

At trial, her defence argued severe depression and diminished responsibility, but the jury found her guilty of murder. In 2011 she was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 32 years in prison.