• She used a sharp tool to stab her 4-year-old son

• Mother sent to psychiatric hospital

A British mother was arrested after stabbing her 4-year-old son to death before attempting to take her own life.

The court issued a hospital order with restrictions under the Mental Health Act. Last week, Akanksha Adivarekar, 37, pleaded guilty to manslaughter of her son Agustya Hegishte due to diminished responsibility. Three doctors confirmed she was suffering from bipolar disorder at the time of the June 10 incident.

During a hearing at Reading Crown Court, Agustya’s father described his son as “my joy… my reason for living” and called his loss “indescribable.”

Adivarekar will only be released from the hospital with approval from the Ministry of Justice or a mental health tribunal consisting of a psychiatrist, a judge, and a public member.

The court heard that she had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in India and later consulted her GP in the UK for depression and anxiety, though no mental health issues were found at that time.

Prosecutor Anne Whyte KC stated that the family appeared happy to neighbors and that the boy was loved by both parents. On June 10, Adivarekar sent her husband a series of alarming texts before ultimately stabbing her son after he went to bed.

She then traveled by bus to St. Mark’s Hospital in Maidenhead wearing her blood-stained robe, where she confessed to staff.

Judge Michael Grieve KC called the case “a truly tragic incident,” noting the father’s statement was “deeply moving and sorrowful.”

Detective Inspector Rob Underhill of Thames Valley Police said the investigation was complex but thorough and hoped the sentence would provide the family some closure and space to grieve.