Young mother ‘battered baby son to death after covering up abuse by claiming he was not her child’ Two weeks before he died Callum had fractures to nine ribs, his leg and arm 11-month-old was found unconscious in his cot on March 18, 2011 He died two days later from a severe head injury caused by a blunt impact Mother Emma Wilson, 25, denies murdering the child she claimed was her cousins son She is accused of murdering her baby son Callum, after keeping his existence a secret A young mother battered her 11-month-old son to death after covering up months of abuse by pretending he was not her child, the Old Bailey heard today. Emma Wilson, 25, is accused of inflicting an unsurvivable brain injury on her son Callum, who had also lost sight from a detached retina and had multiple fractures and bruising all over his body. The jury heard she used a false name for her son and claimed that she was looking after him for her cousin. She paid hardly any attention to the boy on trips to the nursery and shrugged off concerns about the number of bruises on his face, it is claimed. Two weeks before his death Callum suffered fractures to nine ribs, his left leg and his right arm, the court heard. The injuries were not discovered until the boy was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious in his cot on the morning of March 18, 2011. Wilson, who denies murder, remained calm and did not appear to be upset at the plight of her child, the court heard. Callum died two days later as a result of a severe head injury caused by a blunt impact. Wilson claimed constant pushing and rolling of Callum by his then 23-month-old brother, who can not be named for legal reasons, may have been to blame. Prosecutor Paul Dunkels QC said: ‘The injuries were a culmination of a series of violent acts by her towards her vulnerable son. ‘She must have realised she was causing Callum a great deal of pain. Her last and fatal assault on him involved a forceful impact on his head. It must have been a directly blow to his head or striking his head on something. ‘It may have been done in a moment of temper, it might have been regretted immediately after it was done but at the critical moment that was her intention.’ A post mortem examination revealed severe swelling to the baby’s brain, to the extent it had shifted within the skull and was pushing down on the stem. The pathologist also discovered old and new fractures to ribs on both the youngster’s back and front, one to his wrist and one to his lower leg. There was bruising to his face, head, chest, back and leg. The court heard Wilson tried to hide Callum’s existence from her family and friends after his birth on April 23, 2010. She became pregnant with the boy while having an affair with a young man, Lee Workman, and DNA tests later proved her partner Neil Mitchinson was not the father, jurors were told. Wilson planned to put him up for adoption and gave him away to a foster parent but changed her mind and took him into her home in November that year. Two days later a social worker noticed a tiny scratch on his face but Wilson claimed it had been caused by an older boy. In January 2011 the GP also noted five scratches to his nose and side of his face and bruises to his forehead and cheek. Wilson gave the same explanation but insisted she did not have any concerns. During the same period staff at a local nursery, the Woodlands Park Village Children’s Centre in Maidenhead, Berkshire, also noticed bruising. Wilson had given the boy’s name as Callum Keeler and claimed he was her cousin’s baby. ‘She used this to distance herself from the many bruises,’ said the prosecutor. ‘Witnesses describe how Callum always used to have old and fresh bruises on his face.’ Wilson told one witness that ‘she dreaded taking him back to his mum as his mum must think she beats him’. Mr Dunkels said the abuse led to Callum becoming increasingly withdrawn and less mobile. ‘In the early days he had been a happy, smiling baby but he became blank, emotionless and listless,’ said the prosecutor. ‘She [Emma Wilson] gave the impression that her relationship with Callum was not that of mother and son. ‘It seemed that she was annoyed at having to look after Callum for her cousin.’ Experts believe that Callum suffered the fractures to his ribs, arm and leg between March 6 and 10. Mr Dunkels said that Wilson did not take her son to the nursery between March 8 and 9. ‘The prosecution suggest she may have been keeping Callum away while he made some recovery from the effects of the injuries she had caused to him at that time,’ he added. On March 11 another mother heard Callum screaming and crying at the swimming pool and then noticed him with new bruises on his face, the court heard. Four days later a nursery assistant also noticed a large bruise on his cheek and one of the mothers described him as being ‘the worst she had ever seen him,’ it is claimed. On March 17, Wilson explained away bruising by claiming that Callum had fallen off a toy at the nursery. She told staff she was not bringing him to a ‘Stay and Play’ event the next day because she did not have to look after her cousin’s child on Fridays. Mr Dunkels said: ‘Right to the end she was perpetuating her lies as to who Callum was and distancing herself from him by concealing their true relationship.’ Photographs of Callum during this period also revealed the bruising to his face - including one in which Wilson grins next to her crying son. ‘This is a photograph taken when he is obviously pretty miserable - that doesn’t seem to be a matter of concern judging by the look on her face,’ said Mr Dunkels. Another photo showed Callum moving away from a young boy wielding a pair of open secateurs. Wilson took Callum to her parents’ home on the afternoon of March 17 before heading back to her flat in Windsor at 7pm. Callum was in her (Emma Wilson) sole care at her flat and nothing she has said can explain what has happened to him. The effect of the injuries would have been immediate and catastrophic ‘At some time over the next 13 hours when Callum was in her sole care at her flat he received a fatal blow to his head and the earlier fractured ribs were re-fractured,’ said Mr Dunkels. Their neighbours downstairs heard five or six loud banging noises which shook their ceiling between 7.30pm and 8pm, the court heard. The next morning at around 8am Wilson’s mother dialled 999 after receiving a phone call from her daughter. Speaking to her mother, Wilson said: ‘I just got him out the cot. He was fine when he went to bed. he’s lifeless and not doing anything. He’s making noises but I don’t know.’ Paramedics noticed bruises above his left eye and on the side of his mouth. Mr Dunkels said that Wilson had been unable to put forward a ‘plausible explanation’ for the injuries. ‘Callum was in her sole care at her flat throughout that 13 hour period and nothing she has said can explain what has happened to him. ‘The effect of the injuries would have been immediate and catastrophic.’ Wilson, of Windsor, denies murder. The trial continues. .
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 23:35:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015