Man charged with attempt to murder two-year-old

A man has been charged with attempted murder after a child was discovered with a fractured skull.

The two-year-old was discovered in a “lifeless” state by police in Bessbrook, Co Armagh, on Sunday.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers performed CPR on the toddler.

A 24-year-old man was charged at Newry courthouse and remanded in custody.

Detective Inspector Keith Gawley told the court he had consulted a neurology expert.

He said: “The skull was so badly fractured that it would be a blunt trauma injury and that was all that he was prepared to say at that time.”

The accused denies attempted murder and claimed during eight interviews with police that the child’s mother fell from the fifth stair at a house while holding the girl.

The senior officer accused him of lying and changing his story.

The detective constable said police on patrol near the scene of the incident in Charlemont Square East were stopped and told that a child was not breathing so they went to the street.

The officer added: “They saw a female on the street holding a young child and noticed that it appeared lifeless. Police carried out CPR.”

She said the woman told police that the accused had assaulted the child.

When officers entered a property in Charlemont Square they saw the defendant with cut and bruised knuckles.

When they arrested him for suspected attempted murder, he replied: “I did not do nothing.”

During eight interviews since Sunday evening he denied causing injuries to the girl and said her mother fell after drinking and taking drugs.

Mr Gawley said police attended the Royal Victoria Hospital, where the toddler is being treated, yesterday morning and put the account that the accused had given — that the mother had been upstairs and fell backwards downstairs while carrying the child — to medics.

The officer told the court: “The neurosurgeon said that injury would not be in keeping with the fall.”

Mr Gawley said police had established that the accused could not have physically seen the mother falling.

“He changed his story throughout the process. Police do not believe the account that he has given at all.”

The stairs have been forensically examined, the senior officer told the court, and there were no obvious marks on the stairs from a fall.

He added: “He has told lies to police, he told lies to police that the child fell and changed his story on a number of occasions.”

Defence barrister Kevin Magill said his client told police that it was not he who inflicted the injuries.

The lawyer added: “The only direct evidence against him is the mother of the child.”

Police said there was medical evidence as well.

He was remanded in custody until November 19.