Policeman heard murder accused say toddler had ‘poured water on to herself’

OFFICER GIVES EVIDENCE IN COURT

A MUM accused of murdering her toddler daughter was heard saying the child had “poured some water from a bucket on to herself”, a jury has heard.

PC Michael Cartwright was with a colleague, Katie Crowder and her sister Ellen in a cubicle at King’s Mill Hospital, Suttonin-ashfield, on Friday, March 6, a court was told.

Jurors at the trial of Katie Crowder, 26, of Wharmby Avenue, Mansfield, who denies the murder of her 19-month-old daughter Gracie, have heard the girl was pronounced dead at 7.10am that morning at the hospital.

Her mother and aunt were at the hospital after Gracie was admitted and were sat in the cubicle with police.

PC Cartwright, giving evidence yesterday, told the jury: “As per my statement, Ellen asked Katie words to the effect of ‘so what happened then?’ At this point, Katie replied that Gracie poured some water from a bucket on to herself”.

Katie allegedly stated that the bucket was in the bathroom, and “Gracie had not made any sound when she had poured the water,” PC Cartwright told the court.

“Katie went on to say the only reason she knew anything happened was because she heard the sound of the bucket being pulled over. Katie went on to say there was no bleach in the bucket, there was some spray in it”.

“Ellen said ‘like a flash?’ and Katie replied ‘yeah’”.

Earlioer that morning PC Cartwright and a colleague had been informed of an incident at an address in Wharmby Avenue at about 6.55am. An ambulance was in attendance at the address and a child went to King’s Mill Hospital in cardiac arrest.

PC Cartwright’s bodycam footage was played to the jury showing Katie on red plastic seats in the accident and emergency department, going outside, being joined by Ellen and then going into the cubicle.

The second part of the footage showed Katie in the cubicle being arrested on suspicion of murder.

The Nottingham Crown Court jury heard Gracie had burns covering 65 percent of her body area. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as scalds and thermal burns resulting from exposure to hot liquid.

Opening the case against Crowder on March 19, prosecutor Sally Howes said: “It is the Crown’s case you can be sure Gracie Crowder was killed by a deliberate and unlawful act by her mother.”

She said Gracie was dead by the time Katie Crowder took her to her parent’s house.

“Why, ladies and gentleman, the delay in calling for help?” said Ms Howes to the jury.

“It is the Crown’s case that the delay is explained very simply, Katie Crowder covering her tracks because she knew what she had done. She was cleaning up, clearing away, she was thinking what she could possibly say by way of explanation”.

The trial continues.