ROMFORD WOMAN PETRINA STOCKER SENTENCED FOR SALT POISONING OF BOY AT GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL

In a tragic case that has shocked the community of Romford and the wider Essex area, Petrina Stocker has been sentenced to five years in prison for the manslaughter of her nine-year-old son, David Stocker. The devastating incident occurred in August 2001 at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where David succumbed after being administered an overdose of salt through his intravenous drip.

Stocker, aged 42, was found guilty of causing her son's death during a trial at the Old Bailey court on Thursday. The court heard that she deliberately added a substantial amount of salt—specifically 13 teaspoons—into David’s hospital drip feed, leading to his fatal overdose. The court also imposed a disqualification order preventing her from working with children in the future.

Judge Gerald Gordon addressed Stocker directly, emphasizing the gravity of her actions and the lasting impact they would have on her life. He stated, “Public revulsion at behaviour such as this means that a custodial sentence is inevitable. You deliberately caused to be fed to him a substantial quantity of salt at a time when I accept he was seriously ill. After nine years with no suggestion of harm to David, there has to be some force, incomprehensible to me and most people, driving a mother to behave towards her own child as you did to David.”

The court proceedings revealed that David had been unwell for several months prior to his death, but medical professionals struggled to diagnose his condition accurately. Prosecutor Nicholas Hilliard explained that the 13 teaspoons of salt was the final act in a series of malicious actions by Stocker. It was disclosed that she had previously contaminated two feed containers with approximately 18 teaspoons of salt, with David collapsing after the first contaminated feed was administered.

David, once a healthy karate champion, had been in and out of hospitals for five months. His condition deteriorated significantly, leaving him emaciated and weak. The prosecution detailed how he was treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Oldchurch Hospital in Romford, Essex, with his mother vigilantly staying by his bedside throughout his illness. Despite extensive medical investigations, doctors were unable to determine the cause of his symptoms, which included loss of appetite and lethargy.

Further evidence presented in court revealed that Stocker had tampered with blood and vomit samples, as well as interfering with the intravenous drip, to mislead medical staff and obscure her actions. The case highlighted a disturbing pattern of deliberate sabotage, culminating in the tragic death of a young boy who had once been full of life and promise.