Baby's injuries 'typical of child abuse' - doctor

Ryan John Leslie denies murdering his 14-week-old son, Cameron.

Injuries to a dead baby, allegedly murdered by his father "are typical of injuries seen in cases of child abuse", a doctor has told Belfast Crown Court.

Peter Ingram, NI assistant state pathologist, said that injuries to 14-week-old Cameron Leslie could not all have been sustained accidentally.

Ryan Leslie, 26, of Ballyvesey Green in Newtownabbey denies murder.

Dr Ingram said a bruise to the back of the baby's head "would be in keeping with blunt impact".

He added that he and three other expert pathologists spent more than nine hours examining the baby's body.

He said he found bruises to both arms, both legs, his back, abdomen, the back of his head, his chin and on either side of his neck.

Cameron's death was caused, said the doctor, by the bruise to back of his head which caused bleeding onto his brain.

The pathologist also said that his examinations revealed that Cameron had suffered eight fractured left ribs and six fractured right ribs seven to 10 days before he died.

He told prosecuting QC Ciaran Murphy the likely cause of bruise on the back of Cameron's head "could be violent shaking in conjunction with a forceful impact or a forceful impact alone".

Dr Ingram said in his opinion, the rib fractures "could not have been sustained accidentally" and were probably caused by his chest being "forcibly grasped, squeezed or compressed".

"Indeed finger tip type bruising on the back of the chest would support such a mechanism," said the pathologist, adding that while the fractures did not contribute to Cameron's death they "support the contention that he was subjected to assault on more than one occasion".

He said the bruises to his abdomen and lower jaw were also indicative of the baby being "gripped firmly by a hand".