A depressed mother who killed her Down's Syndrome son who she had looked after for 36 years has been given a "merciful" suspended jail sentence.
Wendolyn Markcrow, 67, smothered her son Patrick, 36, with a plastic bag while he was tranquilised because of the pressure of caring for him.
Oxford Crown Court heard she then attempted suicide using a kitchen knife at their home in Long Crendon, Bucks.
The two-year suspended sentence means she will not have to go to prison.
Markcrow denied murdering Patrick but admitted his manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
At a hearing in September the court heard that in the years leading up to the death of her son, Markcrow and her GP had repeatedly pleaded with the local authorities for assistance with his care.
As well as Down's Syndrome he had developed autistic traits which led him to self-harm to the extent that he was blinded in one eye by hitting himself.
After her arrest Markcrow told police she had "snapped" following years of sleepless nights caring for her son.
"I felt sad, desperate, terrified, and ashamed," she told officers.
Two psychiatrists agreed she had been suffering from severe depression, which had gone untreated for many years.
Sentencing Markcrow, Mr Justice Gross said: "Ordinarily, nothing less than an immediate custodial sentence would be appropriate."
The unbearable pressure Markcrow had been under, as Patrick's sole carer for more than 30 years, made his "merciful sentence" the right one to impose, the judge said.
"You will be punished as long as you live by the knowledge of what you have done and what you have lost," he added.
The judge said Markcrow had made a number of attempts to gain assistance with Patrick's care but, for whatever reason, care had not been forthcoming.
Speaking outside court, Trevor Boyd defended the record of Markcrow's local authority, Buckinghamshire County Council.
He said: "Mrs Markcrow was a very independent and loving mother and I believe we offered everything we could to help her.
"It is regrettable that Markcrow did not accept all the care that was there."
Markcrow declined to comment as she left court on Wednesday.