Holly Roe death: Murder-accused mother denies 'squeezing' baby

Tiffany Tate denies all the charges against her

A mother accused of murdering her premature baby has told a jury she would never have hurt her daughter.

Tiffany Tate told Lewes Crown Court she struggled to bond with Holly Roe who was put into an incubator after birth.

Holly was eight weeks old when she was pronounced dead by paramedics at her home in Crowborough, East Sussex, in September 2018.

Ms Tate, 22, and Holly's father Michael Roe, 33, deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The jury heard evidence from a pathologist that Holly suffered injuries consistent with being shaken.

Defence counsel Daniel Robinson QC asked Ms Tate about the days after Holly's birth which had been two months premature.

Ms Tate said: "I felt like she wasn't even mine. She didn't like me. I didn't have a bond with her and I really, really struggled."

When she was discharged but Holly remained on the neonatal unit, Ms Tate said Mr Roe would usually visit with her.

Michael Roe told police Ms Tate "squeezed" her baby

Ms Tate said she felt "really nervous" when she first took care of Holly in the days before they were allowed home.

After three weeks at the hospital she said the bond between her and her baby was "good".

When Ms Tate, Mr Roe and Holly left hospital and went home for the first time, Ms Tate said she did not want to be alone in case she did not know what to do.

She said when Mr Roe started doing the baby's night feeds it felt like "he was taking over".

'Overtired and frustrated'

The court heard in his police interview Mr Roe said Ms Tate used to squeeze the baby right to her chest.

Ms Tate denied that she would "squeeze" her baby or "ram" the bottle into her mouth.

She told jurors while she was frustrated with the night feeds, she was not angry.

About her frustration with the night feeds, Ms Tate described one night when Holly would not take her 03:00 feed.

"I said I wanted to throw Holly against a wall because I couldn't cope with the night feeds but I didn't do it," she said.

"I was overtired and frustrated. I would never hurt my baby."

The trial continues.