A FORMER biology teacher has been jailed for at least 18 years after drowning her three-year-old daughter in a bath when her marriage broke down.

Claire Colebourn, 36, now of Sandford Road, Littlemore, Oxford, was handed the life sentence with the minimum term yesterday at Winchester Crown Court.

Oxford Mail:

The court heard Colebourn hit 'rock bottom' after her high-flying husband Michael ended their 16-year-relationship.

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She woke their daughter Bethan at their home in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in the early hours of October 19, 2017, led her to the bath and held her body under the water before making multiple suicide attempts.

Oxford Mail:

The ex-sixth form biology teacher was discovered by her mother about 14 hours later in a diabetic coma.

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Colebourn, dressed in a black jacket and wearing glasses, rubbed her temples with her hands, shook her head and looked at the floor as details of her crimes were detailed to the court. She did not react when handed the sentence.

Oxford Mail:

Mrs Justice Johannah Cutts told the 36-year-old: "She (Bethan) was clearly a beautiful little girl who was full of life.

"She had everything to live for.

"You were her mother, you were responsible for her care and her wellbeing."