A mum on trial over the death of her baby girl who died from “catastrophic” injuries to her head and body has been found guilty.
Jessica Hopkinson, 19, was yesterday (Feb 11) found guilty of causing or allowing the death of seven-week-old Kristal Davison.
The jury of six men and five women returned the unanimous verdict on the second day of deliberations after a four-week trial at Leeds Crown court.
The baby’s father, Lee Davison, 28, is also on trial and pleads not guilty to the same charge. The jury have yet to reach a verdict over Davison and will continue their deliberations today.
The trial has heard Kristal died in hospital hours after paramedics were called to the couple’s home on Ashleigh Avenue, Pontefract, on April 12 last year.
The cause of death was found to be from the effects of head injury. A post mortem revealed she had suffered episodes of trauma during previous weeks.
The court heard Kristal had suffered injuries to her brain, skull, and leg and there were eight healing rib fractures discovered when her body was examined.
It was the opinion of a pathologist that the brain injuries were the result of violent shaking and damage to the skull was from blunt force.
Hopkinson and Davison were arrested after the death and both initially denied knowing how Kristal could have been harmed. They later gave details to the police blaming each other.Hopkinson has given evidence at the trial, telling the jury she suspected her partner had hurt the youngster after she was taken to hospital.
She said she had heard a loud bang come from downstairs while Davison was alone in the living room with their daughter on the evening before she died.
The teenager said she was too afraid to say anything at the time in case Davison hit her.
She said she became concerned later that night as Kristal began to look pale and was wheezy.
An ambulance was called when the baby began gasping for breath.
Davison told the court he saw the child’s mother “slam” her into a changing mat two days before she died.
He said Hopkinson handled baby Kristal roughly as she became angry when he refused to have sex.
Proceeding.