In 1978, five-year-old Andrea Bernard died from sepsis after being scalded in a bath in south London. For decades, her death was treated as an accident—until her brother, Desmond Bernard, now 56, walked into a police station in 2022 and told a different story. That testimony led to the conviction of Janice Nix, the stepmother who had forced Andrea into a scalding hot bath as punishment almost 50 years earlier. In June 2026, Nix, now 67, was jailed for 12 years for manslaughter and child cruelty, a landmark example of how the UK's cold case units can revive historic abuse cases.
Janice Nix was in her late teens when she became the de facto stepmother of Andrea and Desmond after entering a relationship with their father. On 6 June 1978, Nix was furious that Andrea had left the house instead of helping clean. When Andrea returned, Nix beat her. Desmond, then aged between seven and nine, heard Nix run a bath and shout at Andrea to get in, followed by Andrea screaming that the bath was too hot. After the screaming stopped, Desmond entered the bathroom to find Nix cradling Andrea, who was limp and wrapped in a towel. He saw skin falling off her body. Andrea was taken to hospital with burns to 50% of her body and died nearly six weeks later from sepsis. At the time, her death was ruled accidental. Nix asked Desmond to back up the accident story, and the case remained closed for 44 years.
“How a 1978 child murder was solved decades later”
The case was reopened in 2022 when Desmond Bernard, now an adult, went to the police with his account. In the subsequent trial at Isleworth Crown Court, a burns expert testified that a child exposed to water hot enough to cause Andrea's injuries would instinctively try to stand up, not remain seated—meaning Nix must have forcibly held Andrea underwater. Nix, who had become a probation officer and later moved to Antigua, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 18 February 2025 on her return to the UK. She denied both manslaughter and child cruelty but was convicted in 2026.
For UK readers, this case highlights that time does not erase the possibility of justice. The Met's cold case homicide team actively re-examines historic crimes, often spurred by new witness accounts. Desmond's courage in coming forward after decades demonstrates the lasting trauma of child abuse—he told the court that the abuse (which included beatings with a belt, being bitten, burnt with a cigarette, and forced to eat cat food) left him “broken”. The conviction also sends a message that perpetrators who leave the country cannot escape forever; Nix was arrested at the border after decades abroad.
Q: Why did this case take so long to solve? The death was originally treated as an accident, and Nix told Desmond to lie about what happened. It was not until Desmond came forward in 2022 that the police had credible evidence of a crime. Nix had also left the UK for Antigua, delaying her arrest until she returned in 2025.
Q: What evidence led to Nix's conviction? Key evidence included Desmond's testimony about hearing Andrea's screams and seeing her injuries, as well as a burns expert's analysis that Andrea would have resisted the water unless held down. Nix had also asked Desmond to say it was an accident.
Q: What is the sentence for manslaughter in the UK, and why did Nix get 12 years? Manslaughter sentences vary widely. Nix received 12 years for manslaughter, to run concurrently with a sentence for child cruelty against Desmond. The judge said Nix must have known the risk, as she heard Andrea's screams.
Nix is now serving her sentence. No appeals have been reported, but the case stands as a reminder that cold cases can be solved when witnesses come forward, even half a century later.