Mary Flora Bell was convicted in December 1968 of the manslaughter

Manslaughter in English law

In the English law of homicide, manslaughter is a less serious offence than murder, the differential being between levels of fault based on the mens rea . In England and Wales, the usual practice is to prefer a charge of murder, with the judge or defence able to introduce manslaughter as an option...

 of two boys, Martin Brown (aged four years) and Brian Howe (aged three years). Bell was ten years old when she killed Brown, and eleven when she killed Howe.
Bell's mother Betty (née McCrickett) was a prostitute

Prostitution

Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

 who was often absent from the family home, travelling to Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 to work. Mary (nicknamed May) was her first child, born when Betty was 17 years old.