A Mayo man on trial for murdering his baby son told gardaí he did all he could to save his child's life.

40-year-old John Tighe of Lavallyroe in Ballyhaunis denies murdering six-month-old Joshua by placing tissue in his mouth.

Joshua Sussbier Tighe died on the afternoon of June the 1st 2013.

A year later, his father John Tighe gave voluntary interviews to gardaí about what happened that day.

He told them he had changed Joshua's nappy and had gone to the bathroom for no more than five minutes.

He came back, moved Joshua out onto the sitting room and thought something was not right.

He said his baby was blue, he knew something was wrong and thought he was choking on something.

He rang Westdoc, the court heard, and asked for help and told them his son may have swallowed a tissue or a wipe as they were the only things in his room.

At first he said he could not see anything in his baby's mouth - but later said he thought he could see an obstruction in the back of his throat.

John Tighe said he was 'in bits that day'.

'My boy was dying in my arms' he said.

'I could have sat there looking at him but I didn’t. I did all I could but to no avail.'