Grandfather accused of baby's murder made up story about blackout two years later, court told

A grandfather from Cwmbran failed to tell police about an apparent blackout which he says may have led to his baby granddaughter's fatal injuries until nearly two years after her death, a court has heard.

Mark Jones, 45, denies the murder of Amelia Jones, who was five weeks old when she died in November 2012, after suffering a fractured skull and a bleed to her brain.

Mr Jones says he never deliberately hurt his granddaughter, but fell over twice when holding her, while babysitting on consecutive nights.

On Friday 16 November 2012, he claims he tripped over a toy while holding her, she banged her head on the floor, but he did not think she had been badly hurt, so did not tell her mother - his daughter Sarah.

Babysitting again on Saturday 17 November, he says he was in the kitchen holding Amelia, he had some form of blackout and they both ended up on the floor.He has told the court that he found the baby was not breathing, phoned her mother and then 999, before she was taken to hospital. Amelia died two days later.

Mark Jones was cross-examined today by prosecuting barrister Paul Lewis QC at Newport Crown Court.

The court heard that Mr Jones did not mention collapsing to his daughter on the phone, to the 999 call handler, to ambulance staff, or during more than nine hours of police interviews over the coming days.

Asked why not, Mr Jones answered "because I don't know what happened. I don't remember it, do I?"

Prosecuting barrister Mr Lewis asked: "are you ever going to tell the jury what really happened? You killed her, didn't you?" The defendant replied: "no, I did not."

The prosecution also said that Mark Jones made up a number of different stories about what happened to Amelia.

He told the 999 call handler that he had gone to make a cup of tea and the baby stopped breathing.

The court heard how Mr Jones told a police officer who came to the house later that evening that he had gone outside to have a cigarette, and came back in to find Amelia not breathing.

The jury was also told that he told a doctor at hospital that the baby had slipped out of his hands and hit her head on the floor, while he was shaking a bottle of milk for her.

Mark Jones was also asked about why he falsely told police, in July 2014, that a visitor had dropped Amelia on the Saturday night. He replied: "I felt ashamed that I was accused of everything."

Mr Jones conceded that it was only in September 2014 that he told police that he had collapsed after suffering some kind of blackout, the version of events he is now maintaining in court.

He told the court he had experienced episodes similar to a blackout or fainting "a few times" in the past, but the prosecution said his medical records showed he had never sought medical attention for a condition.

He denies murder, and the trial, at Newport Crown Court, continues.