Mother charged with son's murder

12 April 2012

A mother has been charged with the murder of her 11-year-old son who was found dead at their home.

Officers were called to the house in Knights Croft, New Ash Green, near Dartford, Kent, where the body of grammar school boy James Taylor was found.

His mother, Jennifer Taylor, 44, was taken to hospital following the incident and discharged on Monday afternoon to face questioning by officers from Kent Police's major crime department.

A police spokesman said she was charged with murder and remains in police custody to appear at Dartford Magistrates' Court.

An inquest into James's death will be opened at a later date.

An initial post-mortem examination was carried out but police said a cause of death could not be determined until the results of further tests were known.

James's father, who lives outside the UK, was informed of his death after his body was found last Tuesday.

James was a pupil at Wilmington Grammar School for Boys in Common Lane, Wilmington, near Dartford, after transferring from a private primary school.

In a statement the day after his death, headteacher Fiona Cottam said: "He only joined the school a few weeks ago but had settled in well, making new friends and showing great academic promise, and as a school community we will come to terms with his loss over the weeks and months ahead."

James previously attended Steephill School in the nearby village of Fawkham, where fees are £2,245 per term.

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