Jailed mother Lesley Dunford denies murdering baby son

A mother jailed for killing her young daughter now denies murdering her baby son six months earlier in August 2003.

Seven-month-old Harley Dunford was found dead in his cot at the family home in Camber, East Sussex.

On Friday the Old Bailey was told Lesley Dunford, 37, was changing her plea to not guilty, a month after she admitted murdering him.

She was jailed for seven years in June 2012 for the manslaughter of her three-year-old daughter Lucy in 2004.

Ms Dunford is now due to appear on trial at Lewes Crown Court on 11 April.

Mr Justice Singh told the Old Bailey it would be "unjust to allow the present guilty plea to remain in this case".

"This is a very serious charge, as goes without saying, and I am concerned the defendant, who may well have a defence to the charge against her, may have pleaded guilty contrary to the advice of her legal team for extrinsic reasons that have nothing to do with the merits of the case and I am concerned she may be a vulnerable person."

Ms Dunford's defence counsel, Alan Kent QC, told Lewes Crown Court in January that Ms Dunford, formerly of Windermere Close, Exeter, had a defence to the murder charge but intended to plead guilty because she did not want to travel to court every day of a trial.

His application to vacate the original plea was accepted by Mr Justice Singh at the Old Bailey hearing.

Ms Dunford appeared in court via videolink from Bronzefield prison.