WA news LIVE: Murder trial begins for WA mother who ‘savagely killed’ toddler son

Warning: this report contains distressing details.

A WA mother “savagely killed the person she loved most” – her toddler son – while in the grip of psychosis, a Perth court has been told.

Sara McCullock is accused of murdering her 14-month old Jace on April 26, 2022 inside their Madora Bay home.

The 31-year-old admits to repeatedly slamming her son’s head on the kitchen floor, but has pleaded not guilty to murder due to unsoundness of mind.

During the first day of her Supreme Court trial today, the prosecution alleged McCullock had a long history of mental illness, but said she had been able to function well when properly medicated for her paranoid schizophrenia.

During the early stages of Jace’s short life, he was healthy, well-dressed and his mother took him to activities such as swimming lessons and rhyme time.

But in the early hours of April 27, she opened her front door to police – who were responding to a complaint about noisy music – holding her baby’s body.

The state alleges McCullock had stopped taking her medication in the months before the death, and had voluntarily taken cannabis and alcohol in the days and weeks before, exacerbating her mental impairments.

McCullock’s mother and sister noticed her acting erratically, lying on the floor in public, skolling wine and dancing in the street, and tried to get her to see a doctor.

On the night Jace died, McCullock told her sister she would go to the hospital the next morning, but was tired and wanted to sleep first.

She later told authorities she thought people were trying to torture Jace and that it would be better for her to kill him.

The defence claims the tragedy was caused by a deep-rooted schizophrenia, not a drug-induced psychosis.

The state says to claim she was not accountable, the defence must prove that her intentional intoxication with THC oil played no role in her actions.

with 9 News Perth