Former Probation Worker Convicted for 1978 Manslaughter of Stepdaughter
Justice at last as former probation worker GUILTY of scalding her five-year-old stepdaughter to death in 1978 with police saying: 'She never thought this would catch up with her'
Image: Mail Online
Janice Nix, a former probation worker, has been found guilty of manslaughter and child cruelty for scalding her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, to death in 1978. New evidence from Andrea's brother led to the conviction after decades of denial from Nix.
- 01Janice Nix was convicted of scalding her stepdaughter Andrea Bernard to death in 1978, with the jury rejecting her claims of accidental death.
- 02Andrea's brother, Desmond Bernard, provided critical testimony in 2022, revealing he had initially covered for Nix out of fear of punishment.
- 03Nix's history includes previous convictions for drug offenses, and she worked for the Probation Service until her retirement in 2019.
- 04The court heard that Andrea suffered severe burns covering 50% of her body and died five weeks later in a burns unit.
- 05Detectives noted that the investigation into Andrea's death was not thorough at the time, highlighting improvements in current investigative practices.
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Janice Nix, a former probation worker, has been convicted of manslaughter and child cruelty in the 1978 death of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard. The conviction came after new evidence from Andrea's brother, Desmond Bernard, who testified that he heard Andrea scream about the bath being too hot. Initially, Desmond had supported Nix's claim of an accident out of fear of punishment. The court learned that Andrea suffered severe burns to 50% of her body, ultimately leading to her death in a specialist burns unit five weeks later. Nix, who had a history of drug offenses and worked for the Probation Service until 2019, changed her account of the incident multiple times, claiming she was not present during the scalding. The police acknowledged that without Desmond's testimony, the case might not have been reopened. The investigation into Andrea's death was criticized for its lack of thoroughness at the time, with current practices being significantly improved. Nix has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced later.
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The conviction of Nix may lead to renewed discussions on child protection and the historical handling of child abuse cases.
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