A TWISTED woman who tried to sell a child for £1million before trapping her toddler in a cage has been found dead.
Claire Boyle, 37, dodged jail in 2021 before saying she had “no regrets” about her sick neglect towards children.
Claire Boyle, pictured with her partner at the time Timothy Johnstone, has been found dead[/caption]
Boyle, 37, avoided jail in 2021 after being found guilty of child neglect[/caption]
She kept a toddler inside a homemade cage[/caption]
She had previously tried to sell a child for £1million, too[/caption]
Vile Boyle, from Ayrshire, Scotland was convicted of child neglect after she trapped a two-year-old boy in a modified cot with a wooden frame strapped across the top.
Boyle had previously tried to sell a child for £1million and had shaken him, shouted at him and abandoned him in a “damp and draughty” street, a court had heard.
She had also been found comatose on a couch, through drink or drugs, with the distressed baby at her feet.
Her wicked actions were revealed when another child, aged four, fled from the flat they were staying in and was found walking the streets alone.
But the twisted Scot has now been found dead, EdinburghLive reports.
Police Scotland said: “Around 7am on Thursday, April 4, 2024, police were called to a property in the Main Street area of Ochiltree, following the sudden death of a woman.
“There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report was submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
The horror neglect was said to have happened in October 2018 – and police made the shock find when thet visited the property and discovered the younger child trapped in the improvised cage in a bedroom.
The bottom of the cot had been removed and strapped to the top to stop the child getting out.
Boyle had caged the young victim in a modified cot and claimed it was for his protection.
NSPCC Scotland said Boyle and Johnstone failed to fulfil the children’s “basic needs” and branded it an “alarming case of child neglect”.
In February 2021, partner Timothy Johnstone, who is 23 years her senior, were both convicted of neglect.
Sheriff Higgins convicted Boyle of neglecting both children, while Johnstone was convicted of neglecting the four-year-old.
Boyle was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service and be supervised by social workers for 18 months as part of a Community Payback Order (CPO).
There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report was submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Police Scotland
However, the sheriff warned them a jail sentence was still an option if they failed to engage in rehabilitation.
The twisted mum then claimed she had “no regrets” over the horror of neglect.
She whined that delivering a baby by Caesarean left her unable to fulfill her sentence.
Boyle claimed that she couldn’t physically get into van that transports offenders to carry out their sentence in the community.
This was reportedly due to the impact of the baby’s birth, according to claims made during a CPO progress review hearing at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.
Boyle told the court at the time: “I’ve actually done quite a few hours. I’ve got a bad nerve in my back.
“I’ve just had a cesarean, not even a year ago.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do the work, it was climbing up into the van that was hurting my back.”
Full statement from NSPCC Sctoland on 'alarming case of neglect'
An NSPCC Scotland spokesperson said after sentencing: “Between them, Boyle and Johnstone failed to meet the basic needs of two children in what is an alarming case of child neglect.
“It’s a stark reminder that children are entirely reliant on the adults around them for their care and support.
“NSPCC Scotland works to help prevent the abuse and neglect of children. Parents or carers who are struggling – and anyone concerned about a child – can contact our helpline for advice and support.”
