'I tripped and fell' say grandad accused of murdering baby

A grandfather has denied murdering his baby granddaughter, giving evidence in his trial at Newport Crown Court.

Mark Jones, 45, said he had never deliberately hurt Amelia Jones, who was five weeks old when she died in November 2012.

Questioned by his defence barrister Roger Thomas QC, Mr Jones said that on Friday 16 November 2012, while he was babysitting, he tripped over and fell while holding Amelia.

Asked, "did you believe, at the time, that Amelia had been injured as a result of that?", he replied "No. At that time, no". He said he did not tell his daughter about the incident when she returned home.

Mark Jones of Cwmbran also told the court about what happened when he babysat the next day, Saturday on 17th November.

Mark Jones said he then put Amelia in the living room, went outside and got some fresh air. He noticed she wasn't breathing when he returned, tried to perform CPR, phoned Amelia's mother Sarah and then 999.

Amelia died two days later in hospital. The court has heard she had a fractured skull and brain injuries.

Mr Jones denied causing other injuries to Amelia's ribs and legs. He described how he had looked after Amelia and her siblings on a number of occasions, to help his daughter.

He said he did not like Amelia's father, Ian Skillern, and admitted that he had made up a serious illness to his daughter. Asked why, he said "I don't know, I've been wracking my brain. Attention - that's all I can think of."

Asked about why he later blamed Amelia's injuries on a visitor, he said it was because he was "devastated" at being blamed for everything.

Defence barrister Roger Thomas QC asked: "do you feel responsible for Amelia's death?" He replied: "yes."

"Did you murder her?"

"No."

The trial, at Newport Crown Court, continues.