Court Parents deny murdering baby found to have 71 rib fractures
THE parents of a baby who died aged just 39 days deny murder by shaking him. James Clark and partner Helen Jeremy woke up at Clark’s mum’s home in Neads Drive, Warmley, to find baby Sean dead in his cot at the end of their bed on January 14, 2018.
Paramedics found no signs of life and no external injuries. But medical examination revealed the baby had sustained 71 fractured ribs as well as internal bruising and two bleeds on the brain – consistent with him being shaken.
Jane Osborne, prosecuting, told a jury at Bristol Crown Court: “Baby Sean had serious unexplained injuries that had either caused, or potentially contributed to his death; those injuries could only have been inflicted by either one, or both, of these two defendants.”
Clark, 31, and Jeremy, 27, both deny murder as well as an alternative charge of allowing or causing the death of a child.
The jury heard Sean’s rib fractures were inflicted on at least three separate occasions.
He was also found to have injuries suggestive of being shaken vigorously shortly before his death, and on at least one other earlier occasion. The combination of these two injuries were listed as causes of his death.
The court was told Clark, a cleaner, lived with his mother in Warmley while Jeremy and the baby lived with her mother in Kingswood.
Initial medical visits to the baby confirmed normal development.
But on December 27 Jeremy’s mother Jayne took Sean to Kingswood health centre and reported he had been unsettled and vomiting.
A doctor’s impression was the vomiting could have been due to gastroesophageal reflux and suggested simple measures which might help such as upright, positioning after feeding and not giving Sean the whole bottle in one go. No medication was prescribed. The prosecution focus is the weekend of Thursday, January 11 to Sunday, January 14, 2018.
That was a long weekend for the couple, with Clark’s 28th birthday on Friday, January 12.
The court heard Jeremy brought baby Sean to stay with Clark from the Thursday.
Ms Osborne said the couple spent most of their time from Thursday evening to Sunday morning in the bedroom playing games on the PlayStation or watching DVDs.
She said: “Sean was with them almost the entire time, although they did on at least one occasion go to the shop and occasionally James Clark would take him downstairs in order to feed him.”
The court heard that, from the Thursday night, Jeremy was making internet searches such as “What if your baby coughs blood?”.
Jeremy messaged her mother regarding the baby crying a lot, saying: “If he’s like this tomorrow I’ll bring him home, I hate seeing him like this.”
On the Sunday morning, Jeremy found her baby unresponsive in his cot.
Ms Osborne told the court: “She was too frightened to pick him up and she went downstairs... Clark states she ran downstairs shouting, ‘Sean’s cold. He’s dead’ and he immediately placed a call to the emergency services.”
It is alleged that, as a main carer for Sean at the time, the bulk of the evidence points towards Clark.
After being arrested and cautioned, Clark said: “I didn’t know it was that bad. It’s a shock”. Jeremy made no reply.
The case continues.
Baby Sean had serious unexplained injuries ... those injuries could only have been inflicted by either one, or both, of these two defendants
Jane Osborne, prosecuting