Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Man on child murder rap ‘went to the casino’
Bail hearing told of final hours of 11-mth-old Hunter
A MAN charged with murdering a baby left the child alone for hours while he visited a casino, the High Court heard yesterday.
Prosecutors also alleged Sharyar Ali, 31, went out in the middle of the night for a second time when he was supposed to be looking after 11-monthold Hunter Mcgleenon.
The little boy’s “lifeless” body was discovered later on November 26 last year when paramedics were called to a house in Keady, Co Armagh. Examinations established he had sustained head and abdominal injuries.
Ali, a Pakistani national with an address at Westenra Terrace in Monaghan, was in a relationship with the baby’s mother at the time.
Hunter had been left in his sole care from the previous day while she spent time with her terminally ill granny.
The court heard he made a number of trips with the child during that period, including taking him to Monaghan where he runs a mobile phone shop. Later that evening he brought the boy back to Keady to say goodnight to his mother, with no concerns raised at that stage.
But the following morning, according to Ali’s account, the child rolled off a sofa and banged his head on the ground. The defendant claimed he found the boy face down on the floor and put him into a cold shower in a bid to revive him.
When Hunter started to move his arms and clench his mouth Ali said he dressed and put him to bed.
Later, however, he noticed the baby’s lips had turned blue and brought him to the house where his mother was staying.
A Crown lawyer said his version of events did not explain “multiple” injuries found on the child’s body.
Opposing his application for bail, she detailed two alleged trips Ali made the night before Hunter died.
The barrister said: “He left the child alone for a couple of hours while he was in a casino in Castleblayney.”
Later, the baby was again left unattended when Ali returned to Monaghan because he was waiting for a delivery.
Counsel added: “He said he didn’t mention this to police initially because he knew it was inadvisable.”
Ali’s wife and brother both attended court for his bid to be released from custody. During the hearing it emerged the accused is facing deportation proceedings in the Republic and does not have permission to stay in the UK.
Lord Justice Mccloskey adjourned the bail application for further inquiries with officials in both jurisdictions.