Yahoo Finance 'Murdered' baby's mother 'did nothing to protect him from abusive partner'
A 12-week-old boy was violently murdered by his mother’s abusive partner while she “did nothing to protect her baby from him”, a court has been told.
Kane Mitchell, 31, is accused of killing Teddie Mitchell in a “violent assault”. while Lucci Smith, 29, knew about Mitchell’s “violent disposition”, prosecutors told Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday.
Both deny the charges against them.
The trial heard that Teddie was attacked in a flat in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, on 1 November, 2019.
At the time he lived with Smith and Mitchell, who is not his father.
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Prosecuting, Karim Khalil QC said: “He received fatal injuries as a result of being gripped hard, shaken vigorously and having his head struck against a hard surface.
“In the course of that he suffered rib fractures, fractures to his collar bone and a fractured skull.
“The forces involved gave him serious brain injuries from which he died.
“We say Kane Mitchell killed Teddie.
“Lucci Smith knew of Kane Mitchell’s violent disposition and did nothing to protect her baby from him.
“In fact she ignored violence in the home while others were contacting social services.
“She’s also charged with failing to act once it was obvious that Teddie was very seriously ill.”
Teddie was left alone with Mitchell for about 15 minutes while Smith went on the morning school run on 1 November, Khalil said.
Smith told police she came home at 9am to find Teddie was not taking his milk, and told her local surgery he made a “high-pitched squeal when he moved” after taking him out of his cot, jurors heard.
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She said she could not bring Teddie to the surgery until she had gone on the afternoon school run, having been told to come in at 2pm. At 2.30pm she was urged to call an ambulance but she did not call 999 until 3pm, Khalil said.
The court heard that neighbours talked about regular “screaming and shouting” coming from their flat.
Smith is charged with causing or allowing the death of a child on 1 November and cruelty to a child, and denies both.
Alongside his murder charge, Mitchell denies causing or allowing serious harm to a child between 16 August, 2019, the day Teddie was born, and 31 October. Smith denies the same charge.
The trial continues.
