Santina suffered forcefully inflicted injuries..
Murder trial told wounds were inconsistent with an accident
A LITTLE girl had suffered “forcefully inflicted injuries”, a murder trial heard yesterday.
Santina Cawley, who was two when she died in 2019, sustained brain trauma, an upper spinal cord as well as poly-trauma and lower limb injuries due to blunt force trauma.
Karen Harrington, 38, of Lakelands Crescent in Mahon, Cork, denies she murdered her.
The child was found with critical injuries at 26 Elderwood Park in Boreenmanna Road, in the early hours of July 5 and died later in hospital.
At the time of the alleged offence, Harrington, whose address was given as Lakelands Crescent in Mahon, Cork, was in a relationship with Michael Cawley, the father of the deceased.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the Central Criminal Court sitting Cork, of the 53 injuries she discovered on Santina.
The witness, who told the jury she had performed more than 16,000 postmortems in her career, noted Santina had a healed fracture to her left femur.
However, she said all the fractures and bruising were recent and were not consistent with a fall or an accidental death.
Dr Bolster said: “There was no way she was walking around with these fractures.
“The pattern of injuries are not consistent with a fall or accident.
“Multiplicity and places of [injuries[ [make the death not consistent with a fall].
“If the head is being swung around or hit against something that is going to cause movement in the brain and the stretch of the spinal cord.
“Once the head injury was inflicted she [Santina] would have been in a deep coma. Extensive damage was done and the brain was swollen. This was a severe and traumatic brain injury. There was bleeding in to an area around the spinal cord.”
The witness said once the head injury was inflicted Santina would have been unable to cry.
She added: “Effectively the child would have gone in to a deep coma.”
Dr Bolster noted signs of medical intervention as desperate efforts were made at Cork University Hospital to save the child who died in her mother Bridget’s arms at around 9am.
The jury was also told of a complex fracture of the skull with a 10cm displacement of the bone.
This wound was in addition to fractures to Santina’s right arm and the end of her lower thigh bone and two to the ribs.
Bruising of up to 1cm deep was recorded under Santina’s scalp.
She has further suffered bruising to the right upper arm, the left upper arm, the left elbow, the chest and abdomen, the left sternum, the right side of the chest, the thorax and the pelvis.
Her injuries included bruising to the forehead, the earlobes, the cheeks and the mouth.
Wounds were also discovered on the inner upper lip, and a laceration of the philtrum which is the midline groove in the upper lip that runs from the top of the lip to the nose.
Dr Bolster said bruising covered the entire scalp. It was also noted on the Adam’s apple, the jawbones, the upper arms, legs, and on the back of the left foot and ankle.
Santina had tiny pin point haemorrhages on the right side of her back.
She also had bruising to the left side of her back.
Dr Bolster said there was no evidence of any underlying illness in the child.
She added she was unable to count the number of strikes (to the head).
The witness told the court: “I cannot count the number of impacts.”
Dr Bolster also examined the scene where Santina was found injured.
She noted trails of blood in the kitchen of the property at 26 Elderwood Park, broken glass and crockery on the floor and an overturned chair.
Children’s clothing was found on the floor along with a stud earring which was missing from one of Santina’s ears.
Adult blood-stained floral pants were also found at a bedroom.
The trial continues in front of Justice Michael Mcgrath and an eleven person jury.
The twelfth juror was excused last week.