Baby murder trial hears how baby subjected to "severe force" (From The Argus)

Baby Crystal murder trial hears how baby subjected to "severe force" by accused Jerome Edwards

9:00am Tuesday 11th September 2012 in News By Emma Walker

A baby girl suffered injuries consistent with a TV falling on her or a car accident after being violently shaken, a court was told.

Eleven-month-old Crystal HallHummel died whilst being looked after by her mother’s boyfriend Jerome Edwards.

Edwards is accused of shaking little Crystal and possibly throwing her tiny body in a rage because she was crying.

The jury trying Edwards for murder yesterday heard from the neuropathologist who examined Crystal’s brain after her death last May.

Dr Daniel DuPlessis told Lewes Crown Court that the triad of symptoms he saw in Crystal would lead most experts to believe she had suffered “shaking and impact” caused by “undue force”.

He added: “This particular triad strongly suggests mechanical trauma – in that there has been a head injury.

“The additional findings also point to trauma.

“Most people who work in this field would feel it would be undue force. It would be seen as undue or violent force.

“We know mechanical trauma causes this triad. The sort of mechanical trauma that causes this sort of injury we know of included TV sets falling on a child’s head or a road traffic accident.

“We know that sort of degree of force causes this sort of injuries.

“There is definite evidence injury and severe force causes these injuries.”

Dr DuPlessis said that there were very rarely cases of domestic accidents resulting in the brain injuries seen in Crystal and described them as “at the severe end of the spectrum”.

He said he thoughtit was unlikely that an 11-month-old baby could suffer the injuries as a result of being gently shaken in a bid to resuscitate her.

Edwards had been looking after Crystal at his home in Nursery Walk, Worthing, on May 13 last year, to give her mother Georgina the chance to rest.

Jennifer Knight prosecuting told the jury Edwards “must have lost his temper for a short period of time and may have shaken her before throwing her or hitting her against something.”

Dorian Lovell-Pank defending Edwards, who denies murder, said that Crystal’s death was a “terrible tragedy” and that his client had been trying to resuscitate the choking baby.

The trial continues.