Woman broke baby's elbow and waited hours for a parcel delivery before getting help

A woman who fractured a baby's elbow waited for five hours and a parcel delivery before getting help.

Demi Laurie, 28, assaulted the four-month-old girl who was in her care at a flat in Glasgow's east end on or around August 12, 2019.

Laurie seized the baby by the arm or twisted it or by other means unknown to the girl's severe injury.

She later attended her aunt's house where she waited on a parcel being delivered.

Laurie ignored phone calls from her GP, claiming that she had a lack of signal.

She then boarded a bus to hospital five hours after initially noticing that the child was hurt.

The baby was found to have suffered a fractured elbow with a doctor claiming it occurred within the last 48 hours.

First offender Laurie was found guilty of the assault by a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

She had initially lodged a special defence of incrimination against others but this was dismissed mid-trial.

The court heard prosecutor Ryan Watson describe the hours leading up to Laurie attending hospital with the baby in his closing speech.

He stated that she went to the home of her aunt Kelly Mitchell and told her the baby's arm was swelling - first noticing it at 9.30am.

Mr Watson said: "She went there to wait for a parcel and contacted the doctor at 10.04am. She was told she would get a call back.

"She thought she went to the GPs but accepted that she hadn't. She told us she missed calls or didn't answer them as she had issues with her phone like a lack of signal.

"She said she took longer than usual to get the baby ready and arrived at the hospital at 2.13pm - five hours after seeing her injury.

"Laurie told us she was panicked when she first saw the injury but if she was, why go wait for a parcel and why take five hours to get medical attention?"

Mr Watson stated that the doctor who treated the baby said that the injury happened "within 48 hours of August 12."

He added: "The doctor said that the injury would have involved twisting which was inflicted by an adult."

Mr Watson also reminded jurors that they heard evidence that when Laurie was asked how the baby came about her injury by the doctor, she appeared "p****d off."

He added: "The nurse Penny Roberts stated during interactions with Laurie, she had a blank face and showed little to no emotion.

"This was in contrast to when she engaged with a man who was there with whom she was animated and giggling with him.

"She said that Laurie didn't interact with the baby and had to be shown how to hold her properly by the doctor."

Jurors earlier heard from the 26-year-old man who stated that he saw the baby the day before the incident.

He claimed that she was her "usual bubbly self" and that there were "no concerns at all."

The man stated that he received a message at work from Laurie at 4pm that the baby was in hospital and he attended an hour later.

Mr Watson asked the witness how he felt seeing the baby who had been put in a cast by the time he arrived.

He replied: "It was heart destroying."

When asked if what happened on the day came as a surprise to him, the man said: "Yes."

He added that when he was told that the baby had a fractured elbow, it was "unexpected."

Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month by Sheriff Louise Arrol KC who granted Laurie bail meantime.

The sheriff told her: "Read nothing into this, these are significant matters."

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