An Oldham mum accused of beating her five-year-old son before feeding him a fatal dose of antidepressants has said she does not remember the day he died.

Claire Scanlon, 38, of Elm Road, Limeside, is accused of killing her son Dylan Scanlon, five, at their home on December 31, 2021.

Dylan was found with 64 separate injuries to his head and body, but his cause of death was mirtazapine (an antidepressant) toxicity.

Scanlon has been charged with one count of murder, with an alternative lesser count of manslaughter, as well as a further alternative lesser count of child cruelty.

She has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her.

On Wednesday, Scanlon took to the stand at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court for a second day of questioning.

Early on in the questioning, Scanlon was asked by prosecutor Lisa Wilding about a letter found in her bedside drawer.

The jury has previously heard that when police searched Scanlon’s home following Dylan’s death, they found a letter in her bedside drawer that suggested she planned for both she and Dylan to die.

Ms Wilding asked Scanlon about a line in the letter that reads: “Don't let no one see us. Just cremate us".

When asked whether what she meant was that she was planning for her and Dylan to die and that she did not want anyone to see them dead, Scanlon said “no” that was not what she meant.

Ms Wilding then asked: "Did you plan that you and Dylan would die and then be cremated?", to which Scanlon replied: "No."

Ms Wilding then questioned Scanlon about a phone call she had with her father Michael Scanlon.

Whilst giving evidence earlier in the trial Mr Scanlon told the jury that after his daughter was taken into custody she was "constantly on the phone" to him.

Discussing one phone call he said: “She said she tried to take her own life. She said she had taken tablets as well, but she didn’t take enough because she woke up.”

Ms Wilding asked Scanlon whether it was true that she told her dad that she has taken tablets as well and Scanlon responded: “No”.

Read our coverage of the trial so far:

The court then heard that between November 2, 2021 and the day Dylan died on December 31, 2021, Scanlon was given 112 mirtazapine tablets after receiving a prescription for 56 tablets in November and another prescription for 56 tablets in December.

Scanlon agreed that a doctor prescribed one nightly tablet and said she took the tablets to help her sleep.

Ms Wilding said there were 59 days between Scanlon getting the first prescription and Dylan dying meaning there would have been 53 spare tablets.

She then asked Scanlon if she knew where those tablets went to which Scanlon said she did not.

Scanlon was then shown photographs of empty mirtazapine boxes that were found in the blue bin at her house.

Ms Wilding asked Scanlon: "Did you put those packets in the bin after you gave tablets to Dylan?" and Scanlon replied: "No."

Scanlon was then told her blue bin was emptied by the council the week before Dylan died.

In response, Scanlon said that sometimes her bin did not get emptied and that the packets were not emptied out at the same time.

When Ms Wilding asked: "Did you put the packets in the bin to hide because you had given the tablets to Dylan?”, Scanlon said: "No."

Ms Wilding said 84 empty tablet packets were found at Scanlon's address and asked Scanlon how they all get emptied.

Scanlon replied: "I took them."

Ms Wilding said that a doctor told Scanlon to take one tablet a night and Scanlon agreed.

She then asked: "Did you notice any tablets were missing?" and Scanlon responded: "No".

Scanlon was then shown a photo of her washing machine with one cushion from her sofa inside.

When asked by Ms Wilding whether Dylan had been sick on it or whether the cushion had his urine on it Scanlon said: "No."

When asked why she only washed that cushion Scanlon shook her head.

Scanlon was then asked about Dylan’s injuries. The court heard that a doctor found Dylan had 30 different injuries on his head and neck.

Scanlon said she saw that Dylan had a black eye the day before his death and gave him Calpol. She said she did not see any other injuries.

When giving evidence on Tuesday, Scanlon said she saw Dylan had a black eye the day he died rather than the day before.

Scanlon was asked by Ms Wilding whether she asked Dylan how he got the injury.

Scanlon said she could not remember.

When then asked how Dylan got the injury Scanlon said: "He fell down a step.” She later added that she did not know when he fell.

Ms Wilding asked Scanlon whether she ever heard Dylan fall or “scream in pain”, and Scanlon said she did not.

She then asked Scanlon how she knew that Dylan had fallen, and Scanlon said her son Shawn told her and that she did not remember if she ever saw Dylan fall down a step.

Scanlon also said she could not remember what Dylan did on the day he died.

She told the court that on that day she ran to her uncle's house "to get help" because "Dyl weren't looking right" but was still breathing.

"He looked off, so I ran over", she added.

Ms Wilding then asked Scanlon whether she saw Dylan go on a ladder the day before he died, or the day he died. Scanlon said she could not remember.

Ms Wilding then told Scanlon that one of the paramedics that arrived at her house on December 31,2021 said Scanlon told her that she saw Dylan fall off a ladder the day before.

When asked if that was true Scanlon said she could not remember.

Ms Wilding then told Scanlon that a support worker at Edenfield Hospital, named Joshua Davidson, had said Scanlon told him whilst she was there that she dropped Dylan from her arms when she went into the loft.

When asked whether she dropped Dylan when she went into the loft Scanlon said "no" and added that she could not get into the loft.

Scanlon also said she did not know who the support worker was.

Scanlon was then asked about a conversation she had with a support worker called Tracey Wills at Edenfield.

When giving evidence earlier in the trial Ms Wills told the jury that on February 19 last year Scanlon told her: "I killed my child, I killed my baby."

Scanlon told the jury she never talked to anyone called Tracey at Edenfield.

She then said that she does not remember December 31, 2021 and December 30, 2021 or her first month at Edenfield Hospital.

The trial continues.