In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that 38-year-old child killer Rosdeep Adekoya was granted interim release from prison just four years into an 11-year sentence. Adekoya—formerly of Edinburgh—was convicted of the culpable homicide of her three-year-old son, Mikaeel Kular, in 2014. It was reported that as part of a “test of change” scheme at Cornton Vale prison in Stirling, Adekoya was permitted to work in local shops and use public libraries to study, despite having served less than half of her custodial term for the brutal killing.
The investigation established that Adekoya beat her son to death over a four-day period in January 2014 after he was sick following a meal at a Nando’s restaurant. Police Scotland reported that the toddler suffered 40 separate injuries to his body and head. The prosecution reported that after discovering Mikaeel’s lifeless body, Adekoya wrapped him in a duvet, stuffed him into a suitcase, and drove 25 miles to hide the remains in woodland behind her sister’s house in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Adekoya engaged in a sophisticated cover-up, reporting her son missing to spark a massive two-day search involving hundreds of volunteers. The High Court in Edinburgh heard that forensic analysis of her internet history uncovered search terms such as “I find it hard to love my son” and “get rid of bruises.” The investigation established that Adekoya pleaded guilty to culpable homicide and attempting to defeat the ends of justice, admitting she had struck the boy with a clenched fist and beaten him heavily while he lay over a bath edge.
Judge Lord Glennie presided over the 2014 sentencing, handing down an 11-year term for the “wicked” and “sustained” assault. For her actions in Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy, Adekoya was initially charged with murder, but the Crown accepted a plea to the lesser charge. The judge noted that the pain Mikaeel suffered would have been significant as he became dangerously ill and eventually died from internal injuries that his mother refused to seek medical treatment for to hide her own aggression.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Scotland, the status of Rosdeep Adekoya as of April 4, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: RELEASED (Parole granted circa 2020/2021; sentence concluded 2025).
- Supervision Status: Subject to standard post-release monitoring (Now likely concluded).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Culpable homicide; Attempting to defeat the ends of justice).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh; investigated by Police Scotland.
- Criminal Record: Beating a three-year-old to death; Hiding a body in a suitcase; False missing person report.
- Origin: Edinburgh, Scotland; body recovered in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Adekoya was managed as a high-risk violent offender within the Scottish prison system and during her transition back into the community. Due to the nature of her conduct, which involved the lethal abuse of her own child and a calculated deception of the public and emergency services, her management was a maximum priority for the Stirling and Edinburgh Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Authorities state that her placement in “houses linked to Cornton Vale” allowed her to move freely in Stirling during the final stages of her sentence.
As a convicted child killer, then 38-year-old Adekoya’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that her early release in 2018 for “work placements” caused significant public outrage, particularly given the 40 injuries inflicted on Mikaeel. Any further reports of aggressive behaviour, any contact with children under her care, or any failure to comply with her life-long record of this conviction will be monitored by Police Scotland to ensure the memory of Mikaeel Kular is acknowledged through the enforcement of justice.
QUESTION – Given that the offender was allowed “work placements” and library visits just four years into an 11-year sentence for killing a child, do you believe that “Interim Release” should be legally barred for any individual convicted of the homicide of a minor?
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