No show court drama in city killer mum case

A LOVE triangle mother who drowned her four-year-old daughter in the grounds of Raigmore Hospital after helping at the birth of her lovers’ baby failed to appear in court for sentence today.

Yoga teacher Rachel Cowley, who is facing jail for killing her child Isabelle, became “extremely distressed” at a psychiatric clinic where she is being held and refused to go with Reliance security staff who were to bring her to the High Court after sentence was earlier deferred in her case, a judge was told.

Defence solicitor advocate Murray Macara QC told the High Court in Edinburgh: “I don’t know if what has happened this morning is mere stage fright or something more than that.”

Mr Macara said Cowley was given medication at the Orchard Clinic in Edinburgh but was later seen by a doctor who said she could attend court although distressed.

The defence lawyer said a psychiatrist was convinced that the case should move to sentence and asked Lord Bannatyne to continue proceedings to Friday.

Lord Bannatyne, who is currently involved in another case, agreed to make an interim compulsion order detaining her at a psychiatric hospital until then.

The judge said: “I don’t think it would be a particularly good idea, on any view, that she be brought today.” He said that if she was not capable of appearing later this week he would require some form of medical report.

Cowley cut the umbilical cord on Nicola Charles’ newborn son but later walked off and held her daughter's head under water at a burn in the grounds of Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

Mother-of-two Cowley (43), of the tiny village of Shenval, near Drumnadrochit, later told police searching for the girl that no one would have heard the victim screaming.

She also confessed to a chaplain while in hospital and smiled at the end of it.

The High Court in Edinburgh earlier heard that Cowley and Miss Charles (26) were in a menage-a-trois with Christopher Everitt, who fathered children by both women.

A psychologist who later examined Cowley said there was “a degree of anger, jealousy and depersonalization”.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC said: “The birth of the new baby brought the whole domestic situation into focus and Rachel Cowley’s world collapsed around her. The baby signified a constant tie between Chris Everitt and Nicola Charles.”

Cowley, of Shenval, Glenurquhart, Inverness-shire, was originally charged with murdering her daughter, but the Crown accepted her plea to the reduced charge of culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility.

The first offender admitted killing Isabelle in February this year by forcing her head under water and causing her to drown during an attack in the grounds of Raigmore Hospital, in Inverness.

Mr Prentice said Cowley and Mr Everitt (36) had met in London about five or six years ago and later moved to Scotland.

The prosecutor said: “The family lived an alternative lifestyle with neither of them having a conventional job.” He said they appeared to live off benefits and money given to them by Cowley’s mother.

Cowley, who also has a three-year-old son, had fitted in well with village life in the Highlands and had taught yoga locally, the court heard.

Mr Prentice said Mr Everitt had met Miss Charles when auditioning for a drumming circle. “She became friendly with the accused and soon moved into a caravan within the garden of 10 Shenval.”

“A few months after she moved into the caravan the suggestion that the three of them enter into a relationship was discussed in the presence of Mark Creaney,” said Mr Prentice.

“According to him Rachel Cowley was not happy at the suggestion that Nicola enter into a relationship with Chris Everitt. However, about a month later he was told by Chris Everitt that the accused was now happy with the situation.”

“According to Chris Everitt the three of them, the accused, Chris Everitt and Nicola Charles, were within the house at 10 Shenval smoking cannabis one day when a sexual relationship developed. This had been the subject of discussion and consideration for some time.”

“Thereafter all three entered into a full sexual relationship with each other, more often than not involving all three of them at the same time,” said the Crown counsel.

Cowley was using contraception but the other woman was not and became pregnant.

Mr Prentice said: “Chris Everitt reports that when Nicola Charles discovered she was pregnant with his child all parties were happy with the news.”

But Cowley had visited a female friend and told her of the pregnancy and said “What am I going to do, I don’t know what to do.” She appeared “broken” and confused.

Mr Everitt said Rachel was his number one woman but he also had feelings for Miss Charles and had to explore these.

On February 21 Miss Charles went to hospital as she was to be induced the following day. She had chosen Cowley and Mr Everitt as her birthing partners.

But as the birth became imminent the following day Cowley became more subdued and immediately after it was very quiet.

“She bowed her head, put one hand on her chest area and one hand on her stomach and stood in that position for about 20 minutes in a trance-like state,” said Mr Prentice.

Cowley later held the new baby. A midwife began discussing with Miss Charles the registration of the birth and putting the father’s name on the certificate.

“At this point she noticed that the accused seemed tense as if she was not happy with what she was hearing,” said Mr Prentice.

Cowley later left the ward with her daughter. The midwife noticed that she was holding the child quite firmly and said: “Rachel was also smiling but her face was tense and stressed. Like she was going through emotions.”

Cowley walked out of the hospital with the girl before drowning her in the burn and putting vegetation on the body in a bid to hide it.

Mr Everitt became anxious about where they were and approached a hospital porter. “He referred to Rachel Cowley as his ex-partner,” said Mr Prentice. Police were also called in and a search began.

Cowley, who had taken a boiler suit from a skip, arrived at a couple’s home at Balloch, about four miles from Inverness, in the early hours of February 23 seeking help and claiming she was lost.

Police were called and after she ran off over a field she was traced. Cowley was asked if she had hurt the girl and said: “I think I might have done something to her. I think she might be hurt.” She added: “I think I might have done something and I don’t know how to make it right.”

She told a sergeant that she did not know why she had hurt her child. “She then said to him that she held her in the water and that no one would have heard her screaming,” said Mr Prentice.

She later told a doctor: “I thought I had to do it and now I feel really bad. I don’t think anyone asked me to do it. I felt confused in my brain.”

When she was asked by officers whether the death was connected to the birth of Miss Charles child or if it was related to her relationship with Mr Everitt she replied: “No.”

Cowley was later transferred from Cornton Vale women’s prison to the Orchard Clinic at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and attended a service for her daughter with staff at a city church.

She told a chaplain at the hospital that she remembered being in the labour room and standing with her hands across her chest.

Mr Prentice said: “She said she then felt ‘an energy’ come over her and she felt ‘propelled’ to leave the ward. She said that once outside she felt ‘propelled’ and attempted to find their van. She said that once they were looking for the van Isabelle felt scared.”

“She then recalled walking towards the water and remembered holding Isabelle down in the water. She then found some clothes and put them on and began to walk,” he said.

“At the end of her confession she smiled. The chaplain remarked that she was in no way distraught or emotional,” said the advocate depute.

Mr Prentice said that psychiatrists who examined Cowley were of the opinion that she was suffering from a mental disorder, most probably a personality disorder.

Mr Macara earlier told the court that all the available evidence pointed to Cowley being “a loving and caring mother to Isabelle”.

“She seems to have been very protective to her daughter, to have loved her daughter and cared for her,” he said, adding it was “a very difficult, anxious and indeed tragic case”.