‘What have you done?’ asked mum of tragic tot

A MOTHER who arrived at the house where her six-monthold had died turned to the boy’s father and said: ‘What have you done?’ his murder trial heard yesterday.

Sergeant Alan Ryan told the court that when he arrived at John Tighe’s home shortly after his son Joshua had been declared dead, the baby’s mother arrived on the scene and said to him: ‘What happened? What have you done?’

John Tighe, 40, of Lavallyroe, Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, denies murdering Joshua Sussbier Tighe at his home on June 1, 2013. He has pleaded not guilty and is on trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Joshua was found with a wad of tissue lodged in his throat.

Sergeant Ryan agreed with counsel for the defence that Mr Tighe was ‘extremely forthcoming’ and gave a lengthy and detailed voluntary statement.

The defendant maintains the his son swallowed the tissue after he left him briefly to go to the toilet.

The prosecution had told an earlier court sitting the incident occurred a day after Joshua’s mother had posted on Facebook that she was in a new relationship.

Sergeant Ryan said Ms Sussbier arrived shortly after he had been called to the house and ‘she was very distressed’.

He said she noticed blood in various places – the court has heard there was blood on the baby’s clothes, Mr Tighe’s pyjamas and on the floor.

The court also heard yesterday from Dr Hilary Stokes, a paediatrician, who said it ‘would not be possible’ for a baby of that age to compress the tissue into the wad that Dr Jaber found stuck in the baby’s throat.

Dr Stokes will be cross examined by counsel for the defence tomorrow in front of Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of nine women and three men.