Kemarni Watson Darby: Child's injuries 'normally seen in car collision'

The murder trial for the three-year-old is ongoing at Birmingham Crown Court

A three-year-old boy had injuries consistent with being in a road collision or a fall from a height, a court has been told.

Kemarni Watson Darby died on 5 June 2018 from abdominal injuries.

Injuries to his abdomen were likely caused by "heavy blows", forensic pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar told Birmingham Crown Court.

His mother, Alicia Watson, of Birmingham and partner Nathaniel Pope, of Wolverhampton, deny his murder.

Ms Watson, 30, of Radnor Road in Handsworth, and Mr Pope, 31, of Evans Street, also deny causing or allowing the death of a child and charges of child cruelty.

The trial earlier heard a provisional cause of death had been given as abdominal injuries. .

The types of injuries Kemarni was found to have were normally seen in a fall from a height or in a road traffic collision, Dr Kolar said.

He told jurors the child was found to have "serious" wounds to his mesentery, a flap that provides blood to the small intestine, as well as injuries to his mesocolon, which provides blood to the large intestine, his liver and bruising to his right lung.

He said the injuries were indicative of "high levels of force applied over relatively small area".

Going through the summary of his report, following a post-mortem examination, he told jurors the infant was found to have "evidence of older injuries" including fractures to his ribs.

There was also evidence of other "inflicted" injuries, he said, including "grip-related" bruising on his arm, and a tear to the flap of skin which attaches the top lip to the gums, which he said had a "strong association with non-accidental injury".

The trial continues.