Jury retires in trial of teenager accused of murdering newborn son in Herefordshire

Paris Mayo, 19, denies deliberately causing skull fractures to the baby.

Author: By Stephanie Wareham, PA Published 21st Jun 2023

A jury has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of a teenage mother accused of murdering her newborn son.

Prosecutors allege Paris Mayo inflicted complex skull fractures on baby Stanley Mayo, possibly caused by her foot on his head, at her parents' home in Springfield Avenue, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire on March 23 2019.

Mayo, now 19, allegedly gave birth in a living room before putting Stanley's body in a bin bag and leaving it on the front doorstep before going to bed, with her mother finding the child the next morning when she looked inside the bloodstained bag.

Worcester Crown Court previously heard Mayo, who was 15 when she gave birth, deny deliberately causing Stanley's skull fractures.

When asked why Stanley had balls of cotton wool in his mouth, Mayo told the court there was "stuff coming out of his mouth" and she was trying to clean it up.

The teenager, of Ruardean, Gloucestershire, had also denied ever knowing she was pregnant and said she believed Stanley was not alive when he was born.

After hearing all the evidence, judge Mr Justice Garnham apologised to the jury.

He said: "I am sorry this has been hard to listen to, it has been hard work to read it out as well."

Before sending them away to start their deliberations, he read members of the jury some guidelines and urged them to "be fair and listen to one another".

He added: "Do not rush into a verdict, the people involved in this case deserve your complete attention."

The jury did not reach a verdict in about an hour of deliberations on Wednesday and will resume their discussions on Thursday.

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