Dudley baby death trial: Jury told of little Summer's fight for life
The jury in a murder trial over the death of a baby girl has been told of the five-month old’s final moments.
Statements from the doctors in charge of her care revealed that an urgent CT scan was requested after she became unresponsive at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Jurors heard how Summer Peace had collapsed at home and was first taken to Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley on September 8, 2017 in an ambulance after struggling to breathe.
The baby was treated by medics at the hospital before being transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she arrived at 10.30pm, a judge heard.
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Dr Balazs Fule, a paediatric consultant at the children’s hospital, submitted a written statement which was read out in court by prosecutor Mr Andrew Smith QC.
In the statement, Dr Fule said he had taken over Summer’s care when she arrived in Birmingham and the handover report said she had suffered a cardiac arrest.
He said there had been an issue with her ventilation which led to an X-ray showing a breathing tube was too low and her left lung had collapsed, jurors at Birmingham Crown Court heard.
This improved after medics fixed the position of the tube, the court heard. But the medic said at about 7am on September 9, Summer’s pupils became unresponsive which led to an urgent CT scan being requested.
Dr Richard Neal, whose evidence was also read out by Mr Smith QC, took over the girl’s care at 8am and spoke to her father Philip Peace about what had happened to her.
Dr Neal said he was told Summer wasn’t feeding as well as she did previously and Peace had called 999, leading to paramedics treating his daughter before she was taken to hospital.
Dr Neal said the “consensus” was to withdraw the baby’s life support, with the agreement of the family, due to the seriousness of Summer’s injuries which included severe brain damage, a judge heard.
She was pronounced dead at 5.44pm on September 9.
Philip Peace, 42, of Himley Road, Dudley, denies murder and manslaughter.
The trial continues.
