The mother who was found guilty of murdering her five-year-old son Dylan Scanlon has received a lifetime prison sentence.

On Wednesday (July 12), Claire Scanlon was found guilty by a jury for murdering Dylan on December 31, 2021, following a trial which lasted around five weeks.

Scanlon murdered her son after beating and poisoning him with a fatal amount of mirtazapine, an anti-depressant drug which she was prescribed.

Today (July 14) at Minshull Street Crown Court, Judge Amanda Yip sentenced her to a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years.

Scanlon suffers from Huntington's Disease, an inherited condition which sees parts of the brain stop working properly over time.

In her sentencing remarks, Judge Yip said: "You went from being a good mother who loved Dylan very much to murdering him.  You are the only person who knows exactly what happened but you have not told the truth.

"You decided to take him away from everyone who loved him.  That was a selfish decision to hurt those you were angry with."

She added that Scanlon had shown "no remorse" throughout the trial and only appeared to feel sorry for herself.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

In his victim impact statement read out by prosecutor Lisa Wilding, Dylan's father Gary Keenan said of his death: "There are so many memories we have, and so many memories we will never have, because he was taken away.

"I get overwhelmed with sadness that I can't share my life with him."

Mr Keenan said he was "in a complete state of disbelief" when he found out about Dylan's death, adding "despite our differences of late, never in my wildest dreams did I think Claire would harm Dylan".

He added: "I hold a lot of guilt, I constantly feel like I could have done things different.

"I know these thoughts aren't rational."

Mr Keenan described his son as a "happy, funny, cheeky little boy who enjoyed life".

In a statement from Shawn Scanlon, Dylan's brother, read out on his behalf, he said: "When I found out the truth, I felt betrayed by my mum.

"I was angry, hateful and disgusted."

He said his mother had shown "no remorse" for what she had done.

In his closing statements, Shawn said: "Mum, I'm sure you are sorry for the hurt you have caused to us all, and I love you because you are my mum.

"You will never know the man [Dylan] would've become because he was taken away by you."

Scanlon was not present at her sentencing, with the court hearing that she had refused to leave her room at Guild Lodge, a secure mental health inpatient hospital in Lancashire, to attend the sentencing remotely.

The court heard that it was a "deliberate refusal" on Scanlon's part, with Judge Yip saying it was "disappointing" she had not attended her sentence.

READ MORE: Mum found guilty of murdering five-year-old son Dylan Scanlon

Louise Blackwell, defending, pointed to Scanlon's mental health issues, including her Huntington's Disease and her period of moderate depression in the lead up to Dylan's death, in mitigation.