Vegan who starved child found dead

The body of a vegan who starved her baby daughter to death on a diet of nothing but breast milk, raw fruit, vegetables and nuts was found under Brighton Pier yesterday.

Hazmik Manuelyan, a 47-year-old from Staines, was found by a lifeguard. Police are not looking for anyone else, and it is understood that she had been having suicidal thoughts since the death of her 10-month-old child, Areni, in July 2000.

There will be a post mortem tomorrow.

Both Mrs Manuelyan - who was described as a " loving mother" in court - and her husband, Garabet, admitted child cruelty in September 2001 and were sentenced to three years community rehabilitation.

When Areni died she was less than two thirds the correct weight for her age.