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South Yorkshire murder case baby died with four head injuries
Andrew McCaren/Ross Parry Picture shows Mark Lackenby at Sheffield Crown Court. Lackenby is accused of the murder of his four week old baby, his former partner Gemma Coates a former nursery worker is accused of perverting the course of justice.
A FIVE-WEEK-OLD baby girl from South Yorkshire sustained injuries to her skull about a day before she fell ill and died, a court heard.
Home Office pathologist Alexander Colar told Sheffield Crown Court he found traces of haemorrhage in four areas of Ruby Lackenby’s scalp due to impact leading up to her death.
Ruby’s dad, Mark Lackenby, aged 32, of High Street, Goldthorpe, Barnsley, denies her murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Gemma Coates, 31, Ruby’s mum, of the same address, denies perverting the course of justice by lying to police and paramedics in a bid to ‘protect’ her partner.
The youngster died at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in February 2011, a day after she had been taken to Barnsley Hospital’s accident and emergency department suffering from cardiac arrest.
Giving evidence on the second day of the trial, Mr Colar said: “The injuries were not external, they were not visible from the outside.
“In the majority of cases these haemorrhages are caused by trauma.
“The bruising to the top of the scalp was more recent. Depending on what levels you put on it, it could have been 24 hours before the death.”
A recording of the 999 telephone call made by Coates was played to jurors at the court, in which Lackenby is heard apparently attempting to resuscitate his daughter.
Witness statements from nurses, doctors and ambulance staff who worked on Ruby recalled Lackenby telling medics he had recently trained in resuscitation at work. Michaela Poulter, a staff nurse at Barnsley District Hospital, said: “I remember the dad saying he had recently learned CPR.
“I got the impression he was questioning whether he had done it properly or done something wrong.”
The trial continues.
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Thursday 23 May 2013
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