A 10-year-old boy allegedly killed by his mother died as a result of suffocation, a court has been told.
The hearing at the Old Bailey was told that Olga Freeman’s son, Dylan, had died at his home in west London on 16 August. Joel Smith, prosecuting, said that the cause of death was found to be restriction of the airways.
His body was found in a flat in Cumberland Park, Acton, on 16 August.
Freeman, who was wearing a grey sweatshirt and had her hair tied back, has been charged with Dylan’s murder and was directed to next attend for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 4 November at the Old Bailey. She was remanded in custody.
Dylan’s father, the photographer Dean Freeman, paid tribute earlier this week to his “beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child”.
A representative of the boy’s father said he was in Spain when he heard the “shocking and heartbreaking news, and is beyond devastated. He was a loving and caring father and even though divorced for a number of years, he cherished all the quality time spent with his son.”
Quoting the father, they said: “Dylan was a beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim. We travelled extensively over the years together, spending such memorable time in places including Brazil, France and Spain. I can’t begin to comprehend his loss.”
According to his website, Dean Freeman’s work includes campaigns with the Bollywood star Deepika Padukone and the Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper. His father, Robert, photographed the first five album covers for the Beatles.
