Maya Chappell murder trial: Head injury 'caused girl's death'

Maya Chappell died in hospital two days after collapsing at her Shotton Colliery home

A two-year-old girl allegedly murdered by her mother's boyfriend suffered forceful blows to her head and body before her death, a jury has heard.

Teesside Crown Court was told pathologists found Maya Chappell, who died in September 2022, had "highly suspicious" injuries and bruises.

Her death was caused by an "inflicted head injury", jurors heard.

Michael Daymond, 27, denies murder and Maya's mother, Dana Carr, 24, denies failing to protect her from harm.

Mr Daymond was in sole care of Maya at their home in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, on 28 September when he called 999 saying she was unwell.

She was struggling to breathe and fell unconscious, dying two days later at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Dana Carr denies allowing the death of a child and child cruelty

Home Office Pathologist Dr Louise Mulcahy counted 47 areas external of bruising and grazes from Maya's head down to her legs, as well as several large internal injuries.

"Maya has been subjected to a blunt force assault likely comprising shaking plus or minus a blunt force impact to the head and forceful blows to her abdomen," Dr Mulcahy told jurors.

She said the injuries to Maya's head, neck and torso were believed to have occurred in the moments before her collapse.

The pathologist said she also looked at old pictures of bruises on Maya's body which had been taken by concerned family members in the weeks before her death.

There were several on her head which Ms Carr said were caused when she fell from a slide at a playground.

Dr Mulcahy said the number and distribution of bruises pictured on her head and a lack of grazing were "not consistent" with a single fall, adding there would have had to have been "several impacts".

Jurors have also seen a picture of a large area of bruising on Maya's pubic area which Dr Mulcahy said was "highly suspicious" as it was an area unlikely to be injured so badly by accident.

Dr Mulcahy said some of the bruising found during the post-mortem examination may have been caused by medical personnel when they attempted to resuscitate Maya, while some of the smaller ones could have been caused by Maya "nipping" herself as her mother claimed.

But she said the number and depths of bruises indicated "forceful blunt force blows" which would cause immediate and obvious pain to Maya.

'Deliberately inflicted'

The court has heard Mr Daymond claimed Maya fell from a bed on to a carpeted floor and may have hit her head on a bedside draw.

Dr Mulcahy said the "totality" of Maya's injuries were "not compatible" with such a fall but could be "readily accounted for by some form of deliberately inflicted force".

Mr Daymond also denies child cruelty between 23 August and 29 September relating to multiple assaults on Maya.

Ms Carr also denies child cruelty, based on the prosecution's assertion that she "covered up" for Mr Daymond and hid the abuse.

The trial continues.