The mother of three-year-old Mikaeel Kular wept in court as she was jailed for 11 years for killing her son and hiding his body in a suitcase.
Mikaeel died two days after being beaten by Rosdeep Adekoya, 34, at the family’s flat in Drylaw, Edinburgh, in January.
She had “lost her temper” when he was repeatedly sick following a trip to a Nando’s restaurant at the city’s Fountain Park.
She put his body in a suitcase before dumping it behind her sister’s house in woods 20 miles away in Kirkcaldy.
Adekoya, a prisoner at Cornton Vale jail near Stirling, originally told police that Mikaeel had disappeared from her home, leading to a major two-day search.
She had been charged with murder, but admitted the reduced charge of culpable homicide and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Passing sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, Lord Angus Glennie said he accepted that her remorse was “genuine and heartfelt” and the death unintended. But her actions had been “cruel and inexcusable”.
He said: “Striking a child even once is bad enough. Striking him heavily and repeatedly with hand and fist when he was being sick again and again simply beggars belief.
“Mikaeel was by all accounts a healthy, happy little boy. By your actions, however unintended, you have not only robbed Mikaeel of his young life but left a gaping hole in the lives of all who loved him.”
In a one-hour address to the court, defence lawyer Brian McConnachie said while the assault was “undoubtedly serious” it was completely out of character and he urged the judge not to listen to an “ill informed mob” who were already calling for an extended sentence.
Adekoya, who was wearing glasses, a black cardigan and burgundy jeans, wiped away tears throughout her court appearance in front of a packed public gallery.
She had admitted wrapping Mikaeel’s body in a duvet cover, putting it in a suitcase and driving to Dunvegan Avenue in Kirkcaldy, where she hid the case under a bush in woods behind her sister’s house.
Adekoya, who has four suriving children, had called 999 to report her son missing to police. She told officers he got out of bed and climbed on a stool to unlock the front door of his home.
Mikaeel died on the night of Tuesday January 14 from injuries inflicted the previous Sunday.
The final cause of death was found to be “blunt force abdominal trauma”.
Mikaeel had more than 40 separate injuries to his body, including bruises to his back, chin and cheek, trauma to the brain, haemorrhage in the spinal cord and injuries to his arms.
Lord Angus Glennie said she would have faced a 15-year sentence if she had not pleaded and been found guilty after trial. He backdated the 11-year sentence to January 20.
For more on the court proceedings, and the reaction to the sentence, see Tuesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.