Dad denies killing baby with ‘wad of tissue’ in throat
A BABY had paper in his throat that matched two different tissue boxes in the house in which he died, a court heard yesterday.
John Tighe, 40, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his six-monthold son Joshua on June 1, 2013.
Bridget Fleming of Forensic Science Ireland examined the “bolus” or “wad” that was taken from the baby’s throat during a postmortem.
She told prosecuting counsel Paul Murray it consisted of two pieces of tissue, one three-ply and one two-ply, crumpled together.
Gardai gathered paper from various parts of the house where Joshua died and Ms Fleming compared those with the pieces taken from his throat. She found the three-ply matched tissue from a box in the main bedroom while the other matched tissue in the sitting room.
The prosecution alleges Mr Tighe, from Lavallyroe in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, murdered his son by putting the wad of tissue in Joshua’s throat, causing death by asphyxiation. He denies the charge and told emergency services he was changing the baby’s nappy, went to the toilet and when he returned the child was choking and had gone blue.
Justice Patrick Mccarthy told the Central Criminal Court jury of three men and nine women to return to court on Monday as he and counsel must deal with a legal issue in their absence.