He fell off the sofa, says dad accused of murdering baby son
A YOUNG dad accused of murdering his eight-month-old son told a court he died after falling from a couch on to the floor.
Craig Dawick took the stand at Manchester Crown Court and said baby Leyton had been on a sofa at their home with a duvet.
Mr Dawick, of Durham Street, Rochdale, said he pulled the duvet off to tidy it away when Leyton fell on the ‘hard floor,’ the court heard.
The prosecution allege Mr Dawick ‘snapped’ and deliberately inflicted Leyton’s fatal injuries because he was angry the child was crying.
Mr Dawick, 25, denies murder and appears in the dock alongside the child’s mother, Chantelle Flynn, also 25, who denies causing or allowing the death of her baby and perverting the course of justice.
Prosecutors claim Ms Flynn knew Mr Dawick was a violent man and a risk to her child but instead covered up for him.
Under cross examination by prosecutor Neil Usher, Mr Dawick denied that being ‘woken up by noisy children’ gets him ‘mad.’
He said: “I didn’t react in any way. If he woke up crying it’s normal for him to be crying.”
On the morning of the alleged incident, September 6 last year, Mr Dawick said he called Ms Flynn, who he was in a ‘tempestuous’ on-off relationship with, while she was out of the house.
Mr Dawick told the court he said: “You need to come home. He’s not breathing properly. I just kept saying the same thing again and again really. Just please come home. Please come home.”
Telephone records showed Mr Dawick called Ms Flynn twice at 8.35am and 9.08am before paramedics were called to the house by Ms Flynn at 9.15am after she returned.
Asked why he did not call for an ambulance, Mr Dawick said: “I know I should have done. I was panicking. I was scared. I was shocked.”
Mr Dawick said he told Ms Flynn he didn’t know what had happened to Leyton.
When questioned why he said that, Mr Dawick replied: “I didn’t want to accept that it was my fault.”
Mr Usher said: “You didn’t want to tell the truth that you had lost your rag with Leyton.”
“That’s not the case”, Mr Dawick replied.
The court previously heard Mr Dawick had left via the back door before police arrived. He added: “I only left because I couldn’t cope seeing my son in that state on the floor.”
The prosecution alleges that Ms Flynn participated in a ‘charade’ by telling him that their son was unwell as police and paramedics stood listening, to cover for Mr Dawick.
The child suffered serious injuries and was rushed to hospital, but medical care was withdrawn on September 8.
Proceeding