‘Playful’ child became ‘quiet and reserved’

Aunt tells jurors she noticed changes in boy’s health while his mum was dating accused

The aunt of a baby at the centre of an attempted murder trial has told jurors how her nephew’s health changed during the time of the alleged assaults.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said her 10-month-old relative was a “happy, bubbly baby” in the months following his birth.

But she told the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday how the youngster, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, became “quiet and reserved” during the time his mother dated Ryan Devaney.

The female told the court of her thoughts about her relative. She said she took hold of the little boy and noticed that he had sustained a number of injuries.

She said: “He was kinda limp. He was still. He had bruises on his forehead. He was awful quiet and reserved.

“He was a very playful child but he was very still.”

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.

Yesterday, 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.

The mum told prosecution lawyer Stewart Ronnie that she noticed that the child’s health had changed during the time since she last saw him.

She added: “There was a big difference to how he presented himself. He was usually a happy and bubbly baby. But on this day he wasn’t. I took hold of him. He felt different.”

Prosecutors claim Devaney bit the infant and put a blanket over his head before pushing him on the body which caused the child to fall to the ground.

He is also accused of shaking the little boy and inflicting blunt force trauma on him.

Devaney is said to have assaulted the child at a house in Dundee, an 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 that 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 depicting in an explicit and realistic way sexual activity involving animals and humans”.

Devaney denies all of the charges against him.

The trial continues.