Toddler died from brain damage, court hears

A toddler died from extensive brain damage and multiple fractures to the skull consistent with "multiple severe impact to the head", a murder trial heard today.

State Pathologist Dr John Harbison told the Central Criminal Court that the 20-month-old child's skull was so badly damaged that he was able to remove the brain through the cranial cavity without instruments.

The toddler's father, Yusif Ali Abdi (aged 30) a Somalian with an address at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare has pleaded not guilty to murdering Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali on 17 April 2001 at College Road, Clane.

Dr Harbison said little Nathan's injuries were such that they caused a "disruption of the brain structure".

Questioned by prosecution counsel Mr Michael Durack SC about the extent of that injury, he replied it was "very extensive and very severe".

Dr Harbison told the jury that the frontal forehead bone was torn forward and was completely detached from the eye sockets.

"The degree of fragmentation was so severe it was possible to open the cranial cavity" without the use of instruments.

He said the constituent bones of the skull were sundered to such an extent that fractures of bone were broken into further fragments.

"The skull was in pieces", he added.

Dr Harbison said he found extensive bleeding underneath the scalp and lacerations to the brain tissue.

However, he could find no external penetrative wound that would explain such injuries.

One possible explanation was that the child's head was wrapped in a cloth before suffering impact, but this was purely speculative, he told the court.

Asked if the injuries could be consistent with an accidental fall, he said the child's injuries were too extensive to be consistent with that.

Nathan, he said, had been a normally developed "well nourished child" with no previous injuries.

Dr Harbison said the cause of death was "gross brain damage" associated with multiple fractures of the skull consistent with severe violent impact of the head against a hard surface.

The trial continues today tomorrow when the defence opens its case.