Boy, 4, 'shaken to death after being kept out of sight by step mum to hide bruises'

A four-year-old boy was allegedly hidden from his family to conceal facial bruising following a series of assaults, before he tragically died having been shaken. Anne Rowland SC, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), said a woman in her 30s from Ireland described the boy as a "bold cheeky child" who frequently needed to be disciplined.

She detailed how she kept the boy confined to his room in the days leading up to his death, where he was allegedly made to sit on the floor and was only allowed to leave for bathroom breaks or emergencies. She confessed to that on the day the boy sustained his fatal injuries, she "snapped", remembering "shaking him and screaming at him to behave" before he collapsed on the floor. Ms Rowland revealed that on March 13, 2021, the child's father called emergency services, claiming the boy had tumbled from his bunk bed.

An emergency team discovered the boy unconscious on his bedroom floor. Doubts were raised when doctors and emergency staff found multiple bruises of varying colours on his face, chest, arms and legs.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors discovered a black eye, bruising on his face and arms, and he remained unconscious.

A CT scan showed bleeding in two areas of the brain, his pupils were fixed and an assessment on the Glasgow Coma Scale indicated that he was "not conscious at all", counsel stated.

Specialists at Temple Street were consulted and suggested the child should ideally undergo surgery, but after reviewing the scans, they didn't believe he would survive the journey.

He was transferred to another hospital where surgeons performed a craniotomy, but he failed to regain consciousness.

Doctors concluded that nothing more could be done for the child, but better end-of-life care was available at Temple Street, so he was transported there by ambulance. He spent a few hours with his grandparents before life support was switched off.

On the day emergency services were summoned, the defendant had searched online: "Why is it bad if you bang your head and go to sleep?".

The identity of the accused has been withheld to protect a child witness involved in the trial. The woman has pleaded not guilty to murder, but has admitted to the manslaughter of the boy.

A doctor who examined him will testify that she did not believe the internal brain injuries could have resulted from a fall from a bunk bed.

Ms Rowland told the jury that the parents of the deceased had been in a relationship for several years before separating and starting new relationships. The father began a relationship with the accused and they moved in together.

By late 2020, due to mental health issues, the mother of the deceased allowed her son to live with his father and the accused in their three-bedroom house.