Police body-worn footage shown to jury in Belfast baby murder trial

The trial of a woman accused of murdering her eight-week-old baby and stabbing her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter has been shown 'distressing' police body-worn camera footage from the scene on the night of the attacks.

The 30-year-old woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, is charged with carrying out the attacks in July 2021.

She accepts she stabbed the youngsters but has denied the two charges. The accused sobbed in the dock at Belfast Crown Court on Friday while the videos were played out to the jury.

Three paramedics and two police officers who were among the first responders gave evidence before the footage was shown.

One PSNI officer confirmed that they answered a radio message which said a female was going to kill both herself and her two children.

He confirmed that on arrival at the address, there was a woman with blood on her neck and chest, a baby who was "pale and lifeless", and an older child who was audibly distraught.

He also remembered arresting the woman under caution, and handcuffing her "to prevent injury to herself or anyone else".

After being cautioned, the woman said: "I'm so sorry."

Two blood-covered knives were also located in the downstairs of the house at that time.

Meanwhile, paramedics who gave their testimonies confirmed that every effort was made to save the baby.

The jury was warned before the footage was played on the courtroom screens that they "will find this distressing", but they were also given assurances that every effort had been made to pixelate parts of the scene as necessary.

The first video showed the accused, barefoot and wearing shorts and a small vest top, slumped on the floor with blood on her neck and chest. 

A police officer is feet away, performing CPR on one of the children.

The woman appeared calm and virtually motionless, but spoke on occasions to say "I'm so sorry ...", and to say that she had also cut her own wrist as well as her neck.

She was heard asking officers to locate a black book, in which she says she "wrote everything down".

The video also showed that some neighbours looked on as she was escorted out to a police car on the street which became chaotic with emergency service vehicles.

The second video showed how a police officer tried to race to hospital with the older child, who was screaming, while a second officer tried to sooth the girl, saying "it's ok sweetheart".

The officer wearing the camera was at the wheel. He tried to flag down a rapid response ambulance car destined for the house, which he met while trying to "blue-light" the child to hospital.

The driver then tried to chase that vehicle, flashing it repeatedly and beeping the horn continuously to try and get it to stop to help them. 

A paramedic later said she thought the police officer was following them to the crime scene, so did not stop until reaching the address.

The child was then handed over to the paramedics and rushed to the Royal Victoria Children's Hospital where the baby boy had also been taken. On Thursday, the jury was told of how they were treated as they lay side-by-side in the resus room.

Whilst the young girl was successfully treated for a stab wound to her chest, her baby brother was pronounced dead at 9pm.

The 12 members of the jury have previously been told that while there was "no dispute about the facts of what happened", they would be asked by the defence to consider the accused's state of mind at the time, and whether or not there was "diminished responsibility".

The trial continues.

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