Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Aunt says child was limp and still
The aunt of a baby at the centre of an attempted murder trial has told jurors how the child’s health changed during the time of the alleged assaults.
The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said her relative was a “happy, bubbly baby”.
But she told the High Court in Edinburgh how the youngster, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, became “quiet and reserved” during the time their mother dated Ryan Devaney.
The aunt told the court of her thoughts about her relative. She said she took hold of the child and noticed a number of injuries.
She described the child as “kinda limp . . . and still”. She said there were bruises on the forehead and the child was “awful quiet and reserved”.
The woman was giving evidence on the third day of proceedings against Devaney, of Provost Road, Dundee.
He denies attempting to murder the baby and nine other charges.
The woman told the court of how she saw the child in late summer 2015.
The court heard that the meeting took place during the same time the child’s mother dated Devaney.
She told prosecution lawyer Stewart Ronnie she noticed the child’s health had changed during the time since she last saw him.
She added: “There was a big difference to how the child was . . . usually a happy and bubbly baby. But not on this day. I took hold of the child and it felt different.”
Prosecutors claim Devaney bit the infant and put a blanket over the child’s head before pushing the youngster on the body which caused the child to fall to the ground. He is also accused of shaking the child and inflicting blunt force trauma.
Devaney is said to have assaulted the child at a house in Dundee, Asda car park in Milton of Craigie, Dundee, and a house in Angus on various occasions between September and October 12 2015.
The Crown claims he attempted to murder the child. Devaney is facing 10 charges in all, including assaulting the mother, breaching a bail order, behaving in a threatening manner, assaulting a man and possessing “extreme pornographic images”. Devaney denies all of the charges. The trial continues.