A TEENAGE mother has been found guilty of murdering her son in Ross-on-Wye.

Paris Mayo, now aged 19, cried in the dock after jurors at Worcester Crown Court took eight hours and 28 minutes of deliberation to find her guilty of her son Stanley Mayo's murder. 

Mayo was 15 when she gave birth to Stanley alone and unaided in a living room at her parent's hime in Ross on March 23, 2019.

She assaulted the baby and stuffed cotton wool balls down his throat before putting his body in a bin bag and leaving it on the front doorstep before going to bed.

Hereford Times:

Mayo’s mother found the child the next morning when she looked inside the bloodstained bag and immediately called 999, the court was told.

The teenager had earlier denied causing Stanley’s complex skull fractures, thought to have been caused by her foot on his head, and claimed her son was already dead when he was born.

Mayo appeared in court on Friday wearing a black t-shirt, a black and white patterned skirt and white Converse trainers.

The jury of five men and seven women returned a majority guilty verdict this afternoon (Friday). Mayo, of Ruardean, Gloucestershire, was remanded in custody to be sentenced on Monday (June 26).

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Following the verdict, Detective Inspector Julie Taylor, Senior Investigating Officer for the case, said: “Paris Mayo, who was 15 years old at the time, claimed Stanley was born cold, did not make any noise and hit his head on the floor when he was born.

“She did not alert anyone to the birth of Stanley, or the fact he had died. She claimed she did not know she was pregnant at the time.

“Today, following a six-week trial at Worcester Crown Court a jury found Mayo was in fact responsible for his death; and attempted to conceal her pregnancy from those who could’ve, and would’ve, supported her.

“The death of a new-born baby is utterly heart-breaking, even more so when the person who is responsible is the baby’s own mother.

“This has been a devastating case for the investigative team to deal with and I would like to thank those involved for their outstanding efforts to ensure justice has been done today.”

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesperson added: “This is a tragic and complex case. Stanley Mayo’s short life was filled with pain and suffering when he should have been nurtured and loved.

"The prosecution built a case based on medical evidence which proved that Paris Mayo’s actions were deliberate, she chose to hide her pregnancy, give birth alone and kill her baby, then hide his body despite accepting that she had a family who would have supported her.

"I would like to thank the jury for their careful consideration of this difficult case.”