A mother who killed her three-year-old daughter has admitted murdering her baby son 13 years earlier.

Lesley Dunford, 37, was charged last October with the murder of seven-month-old Harley Dunford.

Harley was found dead in his cot at the family's home in East Sussex on August 27 2003.

Dunford suffocated her daughter Lucy six months later and was jailed for seven years for her manslaughter at Lewes Crown Court in June 2012.

Appearing at the same court on Friday morning, she pleaded guilty to Harley's murder.

Bizarrely, Alan Kent QC, her lawyer, revealed to the court that his client had a defence to the murder charge but decided to admit her guilt as she did not want to travel to court every day of a trial.

Mr Kent was granted a brief adjournment to speak to his client, who was sat rocking in her chair in the dock dressed in a T-shirt and wearing glasses.

But following the 30-minute break, Dunford refused to return to court.

Mr Justice Singh asked Mr Kent whether Dunford was aware of the consequences, to which he replied: "She does. I have spoken to her in clear and forthright terms about what will happen."

The judge said: "In those circumstances, the only thing I can do is accept the plea and adjourn the case for sentencing."

The case was adjourned until March 18 for pre-sentence and psychiatric reports to be prepared.