 The girl's mother has admitted allowing the death |
A man accused of killing his 16-month-old daughter, who died after her back was broken, has blamed his partner for the fatal injuries. James Howson, 25, denies murdering 16-month-old Amy at the family house in Edlington, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. He also denies two counts of cruelty. He told Leeds Crown Court it was possible the girl's mother, Tina Hunt, 26, had attacked the girl as he slept. Hunt has already admitted a charge of allowing the death of a child. Mr Howson said he fell asleep with Amy tucked under a duvet in a chair. He had smoked a cannabis joint before falling asleep and woke the following morning to find the toddler was not breathing. Leeds Crown Court heard Mr Howson claim it was possible the girl's mother, his partner Tina Hunt, had carried out the assault while he slept. "That's all I can put it down to. I did not inflict any injuries on my daughter at all," he said. Asked by prosecuting counsel Gary Burrell QC during cross-examination why Hunt would have done that, Howson said: "I can't answer that." Mr Burrell asked if he was suggesting the girl's mother had beaten the child around the head before placing her over her knee causing her fatal injuries while he slept. "Well yes, because I didn't do it," he said Asked who could have hit the child, Mr Howson said: "There was only one other person in the house." The court was told that at about 2130 GMT on 24 December , 2007, he heard a bang upstairs where his daughter was sleeping in bed. He said he went to check on her and discovered her lying on the floor with a mark on her forehead about the size of a five pence piece. He checked on the child later and noticed the bruise had got bigger. He brought Amy downstairs, put butter on the bruise and then went for a cannabis joint before falling asleep with the child. Mr Howson told the jury he woke to find his daughter was not breathing. The trial continues.
| 
BBC NEWS CHANNEL 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
There was only one other person in the house
BBC News
Bookmark with:
What are these?