Two women have admitted child cruelty after a two-year-old girl died in 'tragic' circumstances - but will not be sent to prison.

Little Masie Lomax-Newton, from Atherton, Wigan, died at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in December 2021. The circumstances of her death have not yet been disclosed, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Emma Lomax-Newton, 29, and Cindy Molyneux, 52, appeared at Manchester Crown Court today, November 23, where they both pleaded guilty to child cruelty. The pair were previously charged with manslaughter, but the prosecution accepted their guilty pleas to the lesser offence following "discussions at a high level within the Crown Prosecution Service".

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Molyneux wept as she pleaded guilty. Judge Nicholas Dean KC, the Honorary Recorder of Manchester, told the women they would not be sent to prison when they are sentenced in December.

He said: "You have pleaded guilty to an offence that is serious. The circumstances are tragic. They have impacted very much upon each of you, that I can see having seen you over several months. This is not a case in which sentences of imprisonment are appropriate.

"What the correct sentences may be is something that I haven't decided. I need to see a good deal more material before reaching conclusions. I want to know about the effect on you of what occurred, and I want to know about the effect on the wider family as well."

The judge said the case would be given a priority and be heard before Christmas.

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