Akanksha Adivarekar, Penfluencer, Ordered Into Secure Hospital After Killing Four-Year-Old Son
The case affects public understanding of how England and Wales handle serious offences linked to acute mental illness, including when courts can require treatment in secure hospitals instead of prison.
A Crown Court judge has ordered Akanksha Adivarekar, 37, to be detained in a mental health hospital under restrictions after she admitted responsibility for the death of her four-year-old son, Agustya Hegishte, in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
The ruling was made at Reading Crown Court on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, following a Thames Valley Police investigation into the boy’s death on June 10, 2025. Police said officers were called to an address in Dunholme End at about 6.30 p.m. that day and the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
The decision matters because it uses a hospital order “with restrictions” under the Mental Health Act, a legal route courts can take when mental disorder is central to sentencing and public protection.
The case has also drawn attention to reporting and open justice after an earlier court order limiting identification was overturned in 2025, clarifying how youth anonymity rules apply in criminal proceedings.
Police Timeline And Court Outcome Confirmed In Official Releases
Thames Valley Police said Adivarekar, of Dunholme End, was sentenced on Dec. 11, 2025, to a hospital order with restrictions under the Mental Health Act at Reading Crown Court.
Police also confirmed she pleaded guilty on Dec. 3, 2025, to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility after prosecutors accepted the plea in place of the original murder charge.
Investigators said she was arrested on June 10, 2025, and charged on June 18, 2025, following a murder investigation by Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit.
Statements From Investigators And Reaction In Court
In its sentencing statement, Thames Valley Police said its “thoughts remain” with the child’s family and expressed hope the outcome provides space and privacy for grieving.
The senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Rob Underhill, described the case as complex and said sentencing concluded the investigation.
Local court reporting also described emotional remarks from the child’s father during the proceedings and noted the judge’s emphasis on treatment through secure care rather than a punitive prison sentence.
Community discussion has largely centred on the tragedy of a child’s death and the broader issue of crisis mental health support, without any official indication from police of a wider public-safety alert linked to the incident.
What The Hospital Order Means For Public Safety And Accountability
A hospital order with restrictions is used when a court concludes a defendant should be detained for treatment in a secure hospital and that discharge should be tightly controlled.
In practice, restrictions mean release or transfer is not solely a clinical decision and requires additional authorisation, reflecting an added public-protection element.
The accepted plea—manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, recognises criminal responsibility while reflecting evidence that the defendant’s mental functioning was substantially impaired at the time of the offence, a concept used in England and Wales to reduce murder to manslaughter in qualifying cases.
The case also intersects with open-justice rules: in 2025, a judge discharged an anonymity order after a journalist challenge, citing limits in youth anonymity law when the only under-18 person is deceased.
What Published Health-System Information Shows About Crisis Access
National health guidance in England lists multiple urgent routes for people experiencing a mental health crisis, including calling NHS 111 and using the mental health option where available, and contacting Samaritans via 116 123.
NHS England announced in 2024 that crisis mental health support would be accessible through NHS 111, describing the move as a way to route people in crisis to specialist help through a single phone line.
Local NHS trusts also publish instructions stating that callers can use NHS 111 and select the mental health option to reach trained staff, alongside emergency advice to dial 999 when life is at immediate risk.
How To Seek Urgent Mental Health Help In The UK
If someone is at immediate risk of harm or a medical emergency, call 999 or go to A&E, as NHS trusts advise.
For urgent mental health support, NHS guidance lists calling Samaritans on 116 123, and also provides crisis text options such as texting SHOUT to 85258.
In areas where it is available, NHS communications and trust guidance describe using NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option to reach specialist support.
Confirmed Next Procedural Steps After Sentencing
Adivarekar will remain detained in a secure mental health hospital under the restrictions ordered by the court, with her status governed by Mental Health Act procedures.
Thames Valley Police has stated the sentencing concludes its investigation, indicating the criminal case has reached its endpoint in court.
Any future changes to detention, including discharge or transfer, would proceed through the legal and clinical mechanisms that apply to restricted hospital orders rather than through further criminal hearings unless required by law.
Public Impact
The death of a young child and the court’s response highlight how the justice system in England and Wales deals with the most serious offences when acute mental illness is central to criminal responsibility.
The ruling clarifies the circumstances in which judges can order secure hospital treatment instead of imprisonment, while still applying strict controls on detention and release.
The case also reinforces principles of open justice, following a 2025 decision that limited the use of anonymity orders when the only child involved is deceased.
Together, these elements shape public understanding of accountability, mental health law, and transparency in the courts, with implications for how similar cases are handled in the future.
