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Head injury 'happened moments before collapse'
THE head injury which caused the death of Leeya Akinrele was likely to have been inflicted just moments before she stopped breathing while apparently being washed by her mother, the court heard.
THE head injury which caused the death of Leeya Akinrele was likely to have been inflicted just moments before she stopped breathing while apparently being washed by her mother, the court heard.A pathologist specialising in the analysis of brain tissue in post-mortem examinations said a severe blow to the infant’s head would have been suffered “seconds to a minute” prior to the collapse which led to her mother dialling 999.
Giving evidence at the trial of Kelly Inman and Olusola Akinrele yesterday, consultant neuro-pathologist Safa Al-Surraj said his detailed examination of Leeya’s brain confirmed that a severe head injury had been the cause of her death.
Dr Al-Surraj told the court that bleeding on the brain caused by the blow had happened at the same time as the child stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest – resulting in the irreversible destruction of a large amount of brain tissue.
His evidence contradicted Inman’s account to police that the baby had simply collapsed in her arms as she washed her in her bathroom at home.
He said the symptoms Inman described were typical of an infant who had suffered head trauma, a type of injury which is known to cause cardiac arrest in very young children.
“This, in my view, is a sign a severe head injury had occurred shortly before the presentation (of her symptoms),” Dr Al-Surraj said.
Asked whether he could indicate how long before Leeya displayed the symptoms she was likely to have suffered the blow, he replied: “I’m talking about seconds – not more than a minute.”
Dr Al-Surraj added that the signs of healing shown, both to the original brain injury and the damaged tissue caused by the subsequent lack of oxygen due to cardiac arrest, meant that her head injuries could be dated back to the day she was first admitted to hospital – 12 days before her eventual death.
“This (evidence of the) healing process was consistent with several days’ healing – in keeping with 12 days of survival,” he said.
He also found evidence of bleeding on the spine – possibly linked to Leeya’s fractured ribs – which he concluded had probably been caused at the same time.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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