Woman who slashed throat of schoolgirl Emily Jones, 7, in park attack given life sentence

Watch: Eltiona Skana has been given a life sentence after stabbing seven-year-old Emily Jones on Mother's Day

A paranoid schizophrenic who was cleared of murdering a seven-year-old girl after slitting her throat will be detained in hospital “until it is no longer necessary”.

Newly-released images show the moment Eltiona Skana, 30, was arrested after attacking schoolgirl Emily Jones as she spent 22 March – Mother’s Day – with her family in Queen’s Park, Bolton.

A court heard she was riding her scooter from her father Mark Jones to Sarah Barnes, her mother, when Skana grabbed the girl, cut her throat with a craft knife and ran off.

Jones was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead later.

Skana was given a life sentence, with a minimum of eight years, on Tuesday at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.

Judge Mr Justice Wall told her: “What this means is that you will be detained in hospital until no longer necessary.

“If or when it’s no longer necessary, you will be released to prison.”

He told her the “background to the killing is your enduring mental health condition” and that she retained “a significant amount of responsibility”.

Skana, originally from Albania, was detained under the Mental Health Act and later admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

However, she was put on trial for murdering Jones, with prosecutors questioning if she was using her mental health as an “excuse” for the killing.

The court heard Skana, who was sent to high security Rampton Hospital, told a nurse the attack was “premeditated”.

Read more: Mechanic, 19, 'killed 15-year-old after paying £2,000 to stop him reporting sexual relationship'

“I waited in a park and picked my victim, I did what I did then tried to run away,” she was alleged to have said, though the court heard she made these remarks when she was not taking her antipsychotic medication.

Michael Brady QC, prosecuting, told the court last week there was no realistic prospect of a murder conviction after hearing from a forensic psychologist who treated Skana at Rampton.

Asked about her mental health, Dr Syed Afghan said: “Violence while under psychosis, while she’s been psychotic she’s been violent, yes.”

Her father Mark said in a statement that Jones was “kind”.

He added: “Emily was a vulnerable child full of innocence and wonder, she was just starting off on her path of life and her future was cut short.

“Our future has also been taken away. How can we enjoy life when the best part of it has been taken away?”

However, they had to issue a statement last week after the widely-circulated photo of Jones was used as a conspiratorial meme.

It made a false claim about the attack, said it was carried out by a “Somalian migrant” and asserted the media “covered up” her killing.

This came despite Skana being Albanian and various national and local outlets reporting the crime. The press is restricted by what can be reported when a trial is set to take place, so as to avoid prejudicing the outcome.

Her death was also used as a contrast to the Black Lives Matter protests this year.

In a statement, her parents said of the image being used in the meme: “We hold this picture dear to our hearts and to see it being used in this way is incredibly upsetting – Emily loved everything and everyone, regardless of their race, gender or beliefs.”

Watch: The COVID dos and don’ts of Christmas this year