A nurse has been jailed for 14 years for poisoning her elderly mother with insulin during a failed attempted murder.

Julia Knight admitted injecting 81-year-old Irene Robson with a potentially lethal dose of insulin while she was recovering at the Horton General Hospital from a fall.

The 56-year-old denied attempted murder and told Oxford Crown Court she had just wanted her mum to have a "medical blip" so she would get better care.

But a jury of five women and seven men unanimously found her guilty to attempting to murder her mum following more than 14 hours' deliberation.

Knight, of Sycamore Drive, Banbury, wept quietly in the dock while Judge Ian Pringle jailed her for 14 years today.

Knight admitted forging a prescription for insulin on the morning of Tuesday, October 7, at the West Bar Doctors Surgery, where she worked as a nurse.

The mum-of-one then went to her mother's bedside at the Laburnum Ward and injected her in the stomach, causing a hypoglycaemic attack.

Doctors managed to save Ms Robson's life by giving her high doses of glucose.

Following the verdict the Senior Investigating Officer, DI Craig Kirby from the TVP Major Crime Unit said: “This is an incredibly sad case where, for reasons still unknown to us, Julia Knight made a concerted and well planned attempt to end her mother’s life. When this did not work she then allowed a large number of hard working medical staff to be subject to an intense hospital and then criminal investigation where they were undoubtedly left feeling in some way responsible for what happened to Irene Robson.

“It was only following a large scale police investigation, when the weight of evidence became overwhelming, that Julia Knight finally admitted injecting her mother with Insulin, something she had repeatedly denied during a number of police interviews.

“This has been a difficult case for all concerned and I would like to thank all of the witnesses in this case, along with the hospital, police staff and Crown Prosecution Service colleagues involved, whose testimony and hard work ensured the true events of that day were finally uncovered.”

The victim, Irene Robson, died in September of this year however the judge directed the jury that the death had no bearing on the case being tried.

Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “This case involved the attempted murder, by poisoning, of Irene Robson by her daughter Julia Knight on 7 October 2014, at the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. It is impossible to imagine a more vulnerable victim.

“Knight embarked on a premeditated, cold-blooded attack on her mother by illicitly injecting her with a potentially lethal dose of insulin while she was an inpatient on a ward after suffering a fall at home. The insulin, obtained by Knight via a forged prescription, caused Irene’s blood sugar concentration to drop to a lethal level and she fell into unconsciousness, but hospital staff managed to save her life.

"There is no doubt that as a qualified practising nurse and with her medical knowledge of the effects of unprescribed insulin that Knight intended to kill her mother.

“This was an extremely difficult and complex case to prosecute. Without any eye witnesses, we needed lengthy and highly technical scientific evidence from top medical experts to help provide an explanation as to how Irene, who did not suffer from diabetes, came to suffer a potentially deadly and prolonged hypoglycaemic attack.

"This evidence enabled the prosecution to piece together what had happened and exclude any possible innocent explanation or a medical error and confirm it was the result of a deliberate criminal act.

“For months Knight denied injecting her mother with insulin. She has since admitted injecting her mother with the insulin, but denied attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent claiming that she merely wanted to make her mother poorly in order for her to receive additional care. She has today, been found guilty of attempted murder despite her denials.

“We have worked closely with Thames Valley Police since this investigation was launched and as a result of the hard work and diligence of the prosecution team, a just outcome has been achieved. It is unfortunate that Irene has since died and is not alive today to see justice done.

"Our thoughts are with her family at this time.”