Janice Nix, 67, is sentenced to 12 years in prison for the manslaughter of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, following an incident at their home in south London in 1978. Multiple outlets report that prosecutors said Nix forced Andrea into a scalding hot bath as punishment. Andrea later died from complications including sepsis, after suffering severe burns. At the time, authorities considered the death an accident, according to reports.
The case re-emerges decades later after Andrea’s brother, Desmond Bernard, came forward to police in 2022, describing what he heard and saw. He told jurors he heard Nix ordering Andrea into the bath, heard Andrea complain that it was too hot, and then heard screaming and later silence. He said he found Andrea unresponsive, with significant injuries. Nix was also convicted of cruelty involving Andrea’s older brother Desmond, with reports describing abuse over a period from 1975 to 1978.
Court outlets say Nix’s conviction is delivered after she was found guilty at a prior hearing and sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court.
