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Court hears damage to baby's throat could not have been self inflicted

A medical expert has told the trial of a man accused of murdering his baby son, that there was da...
Newstalk
Newstalk

18.57 14 Mar 2018


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Court hears damage to baby&...

Court hears damage to baby's throat could not have been self inflicted

Newstalk
Newstalk

18.57 14 Mar 2018


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A medical expert has told the trial of a man accused of murdering his baby son, that there was damage in the baby’s throat that the child couldn’t have done to himself.

John Tighe of Lavallyroe in Ballyhaunis in Mayo is accused of murdering his six-month-old son Joshua by placing two different tissues in his mouth at their Mayo home in June 2013.

The 40-year-old has pleaded not guilty and told gardaí he believed his son started choking after he swallowed a wipe while he had gone to the bathroom.

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Paediatric pathologist Dr Roger David Gibbs Malcomson gave evidence to the court this afternoon via video link of analysing baby Joshua’s post mortem results.

He said there was damage to the back of the baby’s throat which had been caused by traumatic injury – a physical application of force – which the baby wouldn’t have been able to do to himself.

He also said it was not credible that a six-month-old could ingest two different tissues and cause an obstruction.

Under cross examination, the medical expert agreed someone who is panicking when resuscitating a baby may be a bit more heavy handed than someone who is calm or trained.


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