Dad denies murdering baby son
Trauma expert says injuries "normally associated with high speed car crashes"
Story by PA
A young father denied losing his temper and using extreme violence'' to murder his baby son because he could not cope with him crying.
Craig Dawick, 25, admitted he used cocaine and cannabis, did not like to be woken up and sometimes lost his temper, regularly hitting his partner and mother of their son, Leyton.
But he denied intentionally harming the child, who was screaming and crying as he was teething and suffering from reflux, Manchester Crown Court heard.
His partner Chantelle Flynn, 25, had left the house they shared in Rochdale on the morning of September 6 last year, leaving Leyton with Dawick, who was playing on a computer.
Two minutes later he called her phone and when she arrived back at the house Leyton was struggling to breathe and losing colour, so she called an ambulance.
The youngster had suffered fractures and bruises across his body, including what experts believe were kicks or stamps to his groin and head, delivered deliberately by his father it is alleged.
He had also suffered bleeding to both eyes indicating significant'' head trauma, consistent with non-accidental head injury, potentially caused byvigorous shaking''.
One expert in trauma injuries said they were among the worst he had ever seen in more than 300 child injury cases and were normally associated with high speed car crashes. The child died two days later in hospital.
Dawick, who denies murder, told the jury Leyton was lying on a duvet on a sofa when he accidentally pulled the cover from underneath the child with a lot of force'' sending the childflying'' before crashing to the hard floor, causing the injuries.
Neil Usher, prosecuting, put it to the defendant: This is just a story you have made up to try to explain these terrible injuries you caused to your son?''
Dawick replied: No. Definitely not.''
Mr Usher continued: Fractured wrist, fractured leg, fractured pelvis, subdural haemorrhage, bruising to various parts of his body.
You could not cope with him screaming and in the heat of the moment, yet again, you used physical violence, this time against an eight-month-old baby, extreme violence. You did it, didn't you?''
The defendant replied: No I did not.''
Flynn, who was besotted'' with him, denies causing or allowing the death of her baby and perverting the course of justice.
It is alleged she knew Dawick was a violent man and a risk to her child, but instead covered up for him, lying to paramedics and police that Dawick was out when Leyton was injured.
Dawick admitted he used drugs and struggled to control his temper, on one occasion strangling Flynn, who always quickly forgave him, the jury heard.
The trial was adjourned until Wednesday morning.