Indian-origin mom charged with son's murder on suicide watch

An Indian-origin woman charged with the murder of her three-year-old son is on suicide watch in a prison in Scotland.

Rosdeep Kular, 33, appeared at a private hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday to be charged with the murder of Mikaeel Kular and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

She was remanded in custody at Cornton Vale Prison in Stirlingshire and will appear at court in another private hearing on January 28. She is currently on suicide watch in the jail, the Sun tabloid reported.

Kular had reported her son missing last week, triggering a massive search operation which ended when his body was found in a woodland in Fife, near Edinburgh.

It has now emerged that there had been concerns for Mikaeel's welfare in the past and he had been put into foster care as a result.

Ziggy Ford and her husband cared for the boy, one of five siblings, who it is claimed was returned to his mother after social workers thought she could cope.

"They took him on a short-term basis. They loved him like he was their own son," the couple's friend told the Sun.

Social workers from Fife Council were said to be in regular contact with Kular and her five children when they lived in Kirkcaldy before moving to Edinburgh 18 months ago.

A spokesperson for the council said they were unable to provide information about the case because of the ongoing police investigation.

Local communities of Kirkcaldy, where Mikaeel's body was recovered, and Edinburgh, where he lived, are preparing for a special joint tribute to the little boy.

Balloons will be let off as part of the Send-off For Mikaeel event later this week at Cramond Beach and Ravenscraig Beach in Scotland.

Piles of flowers, soft toys, candles and cards continued to mount close to the three-year-old's home in Ferry Gait Crescent, with residents laying more than 2,000 bunches of flowers and teddy bears in a line at least four rows deep and stretching more than 50 yards.

Condolence books have been opened at five sites across Muirhouse in Edinburgh, with more than 500 people leaving messages, many simply asking "Why?"