South Ockendon mum guilty of murdering son who had autism

A woman has been found guilty of murdering her five-year-old son at their family home.

Claire Button killed son Lincoln Button before attempting to take her own life in South Ockendon, Essex, on 15 December.

The 35-year-old told jurors at Basildon Crown Court she was struggling to deal with behaviour from Lincoln, who was autistic, and voices in her head were saying “we didn’t belong in this world”.

Judge Samantha Leigh said it was one of the most difficult cases she had presided over and fixed sentencing for Friday.

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Button broke down in tears when the jury delivered its unanimous verdict after deliberating for eight hours and four minutes.

Lincoln’s body was discovered by his father, Nicky, when he returned from work to the family home in Windstar Drive on 15 December.

He stood by Button during the trial, saying in an interview with police she had been “fighting demons” and was the “sweetest person you’ll ever meet”.

She was “getting dragged outside 15 times a day” by Lincoln, Mr Button said, claiming she had not revealed the extent of her mental turmoil in the weeks leading up to the murder.

Mr Button explained his wife was diagnosed with depression in August 2024 and had struggled to deal with Lincoln’s “high maintenance” nature.

She was a “devoted” and “fantastic” mother, he told jurors.

Lincoln, a Year 1 pupil at mainstream Bonnygate Primary School, was non-verbal and lived with autism, developmental delay and ADHD.

His mother said she began experiencing suicidal thoughts when Lincoln had a “meltdown” following a trip to Lidl on the morning of 15 December.

She described hearing a “dark, deep, scary, demanding” voice in her head when they got home and called the emergency services, but was told there was a 10-hour wait for help.

“I just thought the ambulance service didn’t want to help if they were going to take that long and the voice told me I had to go through with it,” she said in her evidence.

Button smothered her son and left a note that read: “He does not fit in the world and where he doesn’t fit I don’t either.”

Button pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter but prosecutors and the jury rejected this.

During the trial, Lincoln was described by his dad and his grandmother as having a love of trains and being attached to his mother.

His grandmother said Button – her daughter – “must have been going through hell” before the murder.

Jamie Warren, a member of the family, told the BBC earlier this year he was an “all-round happy kid, who loved his toys”.

Thanking jurors for their service, Judge Leigh said: “For me, [this was] one of the most difficult [cases] I’ve done in 30 years.”