A DAD accused of murdering his own eight-week-old daughter said he now believes his former partner shook their baby to death when he left them alone to smoke a joint and watch porn.
Michael Roe, 33, claimed that the premature baby girl was killed by her own mother, who is also on trial for murder.
The court has heard how little Holly died from brain injures caused by violent shaking.
After taking to the witness stand, Roe suggested it was ex-girlfriend Tiffany Tate, 22, who was responsible.
Roe, told a jury: “So, listening to the evidence, it was the last person who held Holly who injured Holly.”
Danny Robinson QC for Tate asked him: “You are trying to say it was Tiffany Tate?”
“That’s what I’m trying to say,” Roe replied.
Holly was born two months premature and the couple brought her home in August 2018.
She was eight-weeks-old when she died from brain injures caused by violent shaking.
Post mortem examinations found 12 rib fractures and evidence of at least three separate brain injuries.
The jury has been told prosecutors believe Roe inflicted the injuries which killed Holly on September 10, 2018.
Roe and Tate are both charged with murder and allowing the other to kill their baby.
Mr Robinson said: “Your evidence has been there was a time in the lead up to her death that you weren’t with Holly and that it was only Tiffany Tate who was with her then and, obviously because it wasn’t you, Tiffany Tate might have caused those brain injuries.”
“She must have,” Roe replied.
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Roe told the court that he usually smoked three joints of cannabis a night.
He said he was in his shed masturbating and smoking cannabis when baby Holly was killed.
Roe told the court he had been too embarrassed to admit what he was doing when his baby was killed.
“I was embarrassed about what’s in the shed,” he said.
“There are some old sex toys in the shed as well.”
Mr Robinson asked why he would leave out details when he was being accused of killing his baby.
Roe said: “Yes, it was embarrassing for me.”
He said he noticed his baby’s hands had moved from the position he left her in before going to the shed.
Asked by Mr Robinson why he had never told police or said in public until yesterday he noticed the hands had moved, Roe said: “I didn’t know then.”
Mr Robinson said Roe he had taken every chance to shift the blame for Holly’s death onto Tate.
“It suited your purposes to make her look as bad as possible as soon as possible,” he said.
“No. I was raising my concerns,” Roe replied.
Mr Robinson asked him why he only admitted trying to feed his baby with a syringe up her nose after Tate told police about it.
He asked Roe why he had not mentioned giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to Holly when police were desperate for any information which could help explain how she died.
Roe was also asked to explain why he did not tell police he had taken tramadol on the night his baby was killed.
He said: “I’ve no idea, Pass.
“I’ve just not mentioned it.”
Mr Robinson told him: “You wanted to see what the evidence was so you could tailor your account round it, didn’t you?”
Roe said: “No.”
The trial continues.
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