Man on trial over baby daughter's death
A man from Dudley allegedly shook his five-month-old daughter in a “whiplash-style” motion which caused her death, a trial heard.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were told Philip Peace had called 999 after his daughter Summer became limp on September 8, 2017.
Summer was unresponsive and had to be taken to Russells Hall Hospital and later Birmingham Children’s Hospital for further treatment.
Doctors established she had suffered fatal brain injuries and it was agreed with her parents that her life support would be withdrawn a day later, a judge heard.
Summer died at 5.44pm on September 9 around 25 hours after she collapsed, jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were told.
Mr Andrew Smith QC, prosecuting, alleged the five-month-old girl suffered the fatal injuries to her brain after she was “intentionally shaken” by Peace.
Peace, who denies both murder and manslaughter, returned to Dudley with Summer and his partner from a family holiday in North Wales on September 8, a court was told.
The 42-year-old called 999 at 4.08pm on the same day and said to the operator there was “something wrong” with his daughter and explained she was struggling to breathe, a judge heard.
Oxygen
An ambulance arrived on the scene at 4.11pm where paramedics discovered Summer “unresponsive and limp”and was coloured blue, signalling an issue with oxygen entering into her body, Mr Smith QC said.
They found her mouth full of milk which they cleared through use of a suction machine, before a paramedic gave her mouth-to-mouth together with chest compressions prior to a second ambulance arriving at 4.17pm, the court was told.
Mr Smith QC said Peace had told paramedics had performed CPR for three minutes prior to the first ambulance arriving, which paramedics said was “consistent” with what they found.
Summer was taken to Russells Hall Hospital for treatment but struggled to breathe en-route and she received oxygen through a mask before she arrived at the hospital at 4.28pm.
A CT scan at Russells Hall Hospital showed bleeding on the girl’s brain with a doctor explaining the cause would be investigated, prior to her being transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital at around 10.30pm.
Doctors established the brain injuries “were ones she could not recover from” and it was agreed with her parents that life support would be withdrawn.
Peace was interviewed by police on September 15, 2017, and later on May, 18, 2018, saying he couldn’t think of any event which had caused her death.
The trial continues.
