Janice Nix, 66, faces manslaughter and cruelty charges related to the 1978 death of Andrea Bernard, 5.
Andrea was five years old and suffered severe burns in south London on June 6, 1978. She was taken to a Croydon hospital and subsequently moved to a burns unit in East Grinstead, where she died on July 13.
Janice Nix, 66, who lives in Clapham, cried in court at Uxbridge. She is also charged with cruelty to Andrea’s brother, Desmond, which occurred from 1975 to 1978, when he was eight years old.
Nix wore a blue hoodie to court and only confirmed her name, address, and age. The hearing was short.
Police reopened Andrea’s case in 2022 as a cold case investigation after Desmond Bernard, now an adult, reported it.
Nix was granted bail with restrictions, including surrendering her passports and refraining from international travel. She is scheduled to appear in court again on March 19 at Isleworth Crown Court.