Jury considers Leeya verdict
JURORS at the murder trial of baby Leeya Akinrele have to decide who was in charge of her at the time the youngster collapsed when they consider their verdict, a court has heard.
JURORS at the murder trial of baby Leeya Akinrele have to decide who was in charge of her at the time the youngster collapsed when they consider their verdict, a court has heard.Judge Philip Clegg continued summing up at the trial of Kelly Inman (22) and Olusola Akinrele (34) at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday.
He spoke about pathologist Dr Nathaniel Carey's evidence about how he discovered during her post-mortem the two-and-a-half-centimetre skull fracture that caused Leeya's brain damage and death.
Judge Clegg said as part of their deliberations the jury would have to decide who was in charge of Leeya at the moment of her collapse into lifelessness at the family home in Whittlesey on December 18, 2006.
He said: "Dr Carey said her brain damage was about as bad as it could be. There was no chance of recovery.
"The effect of that is central to this case because there would be no period of normality between a blow causing the fracture and the collapse. She stopped breathing within minutes.
"The person who was in charge of Leeya at that time is essentially what you will come to decide when you consider whether Akinrele or Inman were the cause of her death."
He also drew their attention to the evidence given by Cambridgeshire Social Services' child protection officer Christopher Woods claiming it would be "significant" in their deliberations.
Mr Woods met with Inman and Akinrele while Leeya was on life-support at the hospital but before her death.
He said: "Mr Woods said both parents were distraught and Akinrele was crying throughout the meeting. Akinrele had his head in his hands and there were tears streaming down his face.
"Inman told him that Leeya had brain damage and Mr Woods asked if there was anything else, Inman paused and then said there was a broken leg.
"He then asked if 'there was anything else you need to tell me' and Inman paused then she said 'there's a lot more I could tell you about the broken leg but I can't'.
"Mr Woods said to the court 'it was as if she wanted to tell me something'.
"Akinrele was about eight feet away from Inman during the meeting. Inman has since said in her defence that there was something to say and it was her suspicions of Akinrele."
The jury is expected to go out to consider their verdict on Monday afternoon.
Inman and Akinrele deny murdering Leeya. In addition, Akinrele denies causing or allowing Leeya's death. Inman also denies causing Leeya's death.
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