Assault trial involving 10-month-old baby: Jury hears closing statements

The jury in the trial of a woman accused of assaulting a 10-month-old baby girl in her care will begin deliberations tomorrow.

Sandra Higgins denies wrecklessy or intentionally injuring the child at her home in Drumgola Wood in County Cavan in March of 2012.

In closing statements, defense counsel Remy Farrell told jurors that this case wasn’t about whether "shaken baby syndrome" exists, and they must consider that what happened to the little girl on March 28 was the result of a previous trauma and if it was possible there was a lucid interval between injuries and symtoms.

The answer must be yes, he said, and urged the jury to strip away the complexities of the case before considering a verdict.

Refuting claims from the proseuction that the defense had relied on testimony from a “doctor without patients” and “the ultimate back seat driver”, Mr Farrell said that the experts had guided the jury from A, to B, to C... and now it was time to “assess the evidence in a critical way”.

Counsel for the prosecution Sean Gillane earlier in the day told jurors that this case is about infliction of trauma and they must determine the mechanism and the timing of it.

If the jury could not say conclusively when it occured - Mr Farrell told them - they must acquit.