The ex-wife of a famous photographer admitted that she killed her 10-year-old son with developmental disabilities while struggling to cope during the coronavirus pandemic – after being called the “messiah” who had to “sacrifice” my beloved child “, according to a report.
Olga Freeman, 40, suffered a malfunction before putting a sponge in Dylan’s mouth and covering him with a blanket among her toys in their apartment in Acton, West London, in August 2020, the Times reported. of London.
In a virtual appearance on Monday at a psychiatric hospital, Freeman denied the murder, but acknowledged the homicide as a result of diminished responsibility, the press reported.
Dylan’s father, celebrity and fashion photographer Dean Freeman, 57, had left for Spain when his son died.
The boy – who had autism, myopia and significant communication problems – needed non-stop care and had attended a special school five days a week.
The court was told that local authorities failed to provide additional assistance to Dylan during the pandemic, according to the Times.
In the week before his death, Freeman spoke of saving the world and the messiah – and insisting that he must travel to Jerusalem.
“This is my job: to sacrifice my beloved child to create a balance in this world,” she said in a recording.
Hours before Dylan’s murder, the Russian citizen had an argument with her ex about his role in caring for their son, the court found out.
Freeman’s friend, Edita Surpickaja, told the court that her mother was struggling to meet Dylan’s needs and that her mental health had deteriorated.
Surpickaja helped Freeman about 12 hours a week, but the local council did not participate despite repeated requests, he told the court.
The night before Dylan was found, Freeman sent a message saying, “I’m done. Where are you?”
When Surpickaja arrived home, she discovered that Freeman had booked two seats on a flight from London to Tel Aviv – and told her friend not to go into the bedroom.
“We must go to Jerusalem. I did what I did. Sometimes, when things are good, it can be really bad, “Freeman told Surpickaja, who hid his mother’s passport, according to the Times.
Surpickaja recorded a conversation on a phone call in which Freeman said he had no choice but to kill Dylan.
After a discussion, the women went to the Acton police station, where Freeman loudly announced, “I killed my baby.”
Freeman told police she tried to “kill him slowly” by giving the boy an overdose of hormonal treatment for insomnia, but when it didn’t work, she used her bra and then her hands to strangle him before inserting the sponge into it. the mouth.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson told the court that the murder plea was acceptable.
“Partial defense of diminished liability is available to the defendant based on the fact that there was a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms at that time,” he said.
“This is acceptable for the prosecution after careful analysis and further extensive investigations by the officers conducting this investigation,” Patterson added.
The judge postponed the sentence until February 11 after hearing a defense recommendation that the appropriate action would be a restricted hospital order.
The father, who had been divorcing Freeman for some time, had previously paid tribute to his deceased son.
“Dylan was a beautiful, bright, curious and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim,” said Dean Freeman.
“We have traveled together for many years, spending such a memorable time in places including Brazil, France and Spain. I can’t begin to understand his loss, “he added.
The grieving father photographed well-known figures, including the Spice Girls, actor Bradley Cooper and model Emily Ratajkowski.
Dean’s father, Robert Freeman, was also a photographer of famous musicians, including the great jazz John Coltrane and the Beatles, for whom he filmed famous album covers in the 1960s.
After the guilty plea, Kristen Katsouris of the Crown Prosecutor’s Office said: “It was a tragic death of a child at the hands of his mother, who was struggling to cope.
“Olga Freeman had loved and cared for Dylan for many years, but the tension and pressures of her son’s severe and complex special needs had accumulated and this, combined with her impaired mental health, had heartbreaking consequences,” she said.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this case,” Katsouris added.