Maya Chappell death: Mum 'hoodwinked' by boyfriend

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

A woman whose boyfriend is accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter was "hoodwinked" by him, a court has heard.

Dana Carr, 24, is accused of not protecting Maya Chappell from being abused and killed by Michael Daymond, 27, in September 2022.

Her lawyers said instead of being allowed to grieve her daughter, the young mother had been put on trial at Teesside Crown Court.

Mr Daymond denies murder and Ms Carr denies allowing Maya's death.

The court was previously told Mr Daymond was the sole carer for Maya on 28 September when she collapsed at their home in Shotton Colliery, County Durham.

She died in hospital two days later with pathologists saying she was killed by an "inflicted head injury" that was very unlikely to be accidental.

Dana Carr denies allowing the death of her daughter Maya Chappell

In his closing speech, Ms Carr's lawyer Toby Hedworth KC said Maya was a "beautiful little girl" who suffered an "untimely death".

He said many things were clear with hindsight but the case was about "what was known then" by Ms Carr.

She has told the court Mr Daymond, her boyfriend of nine weeks, always had an explanation for injuries seen on Maya which she believed, adding had she had concerns she would have taken Maya and left.

It was only after his arrest that she found out Maya's injuries were suspicious and Mr Daymond was being pursued for a drugs debt, had set up an online dating profile and was having a baby with another woman, the court heard.

'Blindsided'

She told the court her relationship with Maya's father James Chappell had been "toxic" and "awful", but Mr Daymond was like a "fairy tale".

Mr Hedworth asked whether, after the "acrimony of the abusive relationship", Ms Carr was "so wrong to seize upon a better life with a man who promised so much?".

He said she saw Mr Daymond as the "polar opposite" of Mr Chappell and as "someone who appeared to genuinely care for her" and seemed "to be wonderful with her daughter".

Mr Hedworth said she would not be the first or last person to be "completely hoodwinked and blindsided by a partner with a hidden side".

He said Ms Carr was "undoubtedly not the most accomplished young parent" and had been naïve, adding: "Does that justify her being pilloried because she was young and taken in by a man who was secretly leading a completely different life?"

'Punishment enough'

Mr Hedworth said his client was put on trial "rather than being allowed to grieve her loss" even though no-one suggested that she killed her daughter.

He said Mr Daymond, the "man who killed [Ms Carr's] daughter", had refused to give evidence and "hid in the dock" at the trial because he had "no answers", but had instructed his lawyers to cross-examine Ms Carr when she took to the witness box "only to try and drag her down with him".

Prosecutors said several relatives, including Mr Chappell, raised concerns with Ms Carr about bruises they saw and photographed on Maya.

Mr Hedworth said a "number of people saw things and came to conclusions", but questioned how well those were communicated to Ms Carr, especially by Mr Chappell with whom she was having a "series of ding-dong rows which may have rather obscured the message".

He said Ms Carr would live with this for the rest of her life which was "punishment enough".

Both Mr Daymond and Ms Carr also deny child cruelty.

He is alleged to have abused Maya in the weeks before her death and Ms Carr is accused of not doing anything to stop it.

The trial continues.