Telford builder killed baby son, court is told

Paul Thomas was accused in court of killing 11-month-old Oliver Sargent.

But prosecutor Andrew Smith told a jury they should also find his wife Ashlea Thomas guilty of murder.

Mr Smith said at the very least she would have known what was going on behind the closed doors of the family home and as such played a "supporting" or "encouraging" role in the baby's death.

Oliver was rushed to Telford's Princess Royal Hospital on July 27, 2012, after his father made a 999 call to West Midlands Ambulance Service to say he had collapsed and stopped breathing.

The baby was later transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but died four days after the collapse. Scans revealed he had injuries including bleeding on the brain and in the eyes.

X-rays also showed fractures to his skull, ribs and collarbone.

Oliver had been in and out of hospital and doctors' surgeries in the months before that, with his parents telling doctors and nurses he was constantly vomiting.

Mr Andrew Smith, prosecuting barrister, made his closing speech at Birmingham Crown Court, telling jurors: "There is fundamental certainty in this case that Oliver Sargent sustained his fatal brain injuries in the short moments before an ambulance was called by Paul Thomas.

"By the time the ambulance could be summoned, it was too late. He suffered a fatal injury that can only have been caused by one or both of his parents.

"He was murdered. This conclusion is one properly reached by careful and dispassionate analysis of all of the evidence. The prosecution believe Paul Thomas is the person who inflicted those fatal injuries on Oliver."

Mr Smith told the jury Ashlea Thomas must have known what was going on.

He added: "Their police interview can be summarised in one sentence: 'It was not me and I do not believe it was him or her, delete as applicable'.

"This was the party line from the defendants, sticking together. They were acting in concert."

Paul Thomas and Ashlea Thomas, 20, a nursery nurse, both formerly of Priory Way, St Georges, Telford, but now of Dalford Court, Hollinswood, Telford, both deny murder.

They also deny an alternative charge of causing a child's death by not recognising there was a risk of significant harm by a member of the household between July 27 and July 31, 2012.

Both also face a charge of abusing, ill-treating, abandoning or neglecting Oliver in a manner likely to cause harm between March 12 and July 26, 2012.

They deny all charges against them. The trial continues.