Dad Shook Baby Daughter To Death As Mother 'Turned A Blind Eye,' Court Told

A father shook his 8-week-old baby to death while the infant's mother "turned a blind eye" to the happenings, a court in the United Kingdom heard Wednesday.

Michael Roe, 32, is accused of shaking the infant, Holly Roe, on more than one occasion, causing head injuries and 11 rib fractures, which eventually led to her death in September 2018, Lewes Crown Court in Hove, London, heard.

The baby girl's mother, 22-year-old Tiffany Tate, is accused of letting her child die at the hands of the father, the prosecutor Sally Howes told the jury.

Holly was born on July 14, 2018, as a premature baby as her mother underwent an emergency cesarean two months early to her actual due date. The infant had to be resuscitated.

The infant was discharged from hospital in a stable condition on Aug. 9, 2018. Unfortunately, within a few weeks after her discharge, the baby died. The cause of her death was believed to be from injuries caused by violent and abusive shaking.

During the hearing, Howes told the jury that the infant would have suffered extreme pain and would have been in severe distress due to the fractured ribs.

The child's mother, however, told the police she believed her child was totally fine, hours before the death. Howes alleged that Tate "turned a blind eye," to her child's death.

Tate told the police on Sept 10, 2018, Roe woke her from sleep around 1:30 a.m. saying, "Holly's cold, she's not breathing."

"He felt Holly’s head and it was cold. He then felt her chest and it was warm. He carried out a test for reflex, there was none. Michael Roe rang the emergency services for an ambulance," Howes said.

Emergency services rushed to their home and performed life-saving measures before taking her to Pembury Hospital in Tunbridge Wells where she was later pronounced dead.

The autopsy results showed multiple signs of life-threatening injuries on her body.

Meanwhile, Tate confessed she never felt any motherly affection toward her premature daughter. She used to get frustrated when she heard the baby cry, and would ask Roe to feed the child during late nights as she didn't have the patience to do so, Howes said in the court.

Court documents point out Roe smoked a cannabis joint before feeding Holly on the night she died.

He "knew exactly what he was doing," Howes told the jury.

Roe, however, denied the murder allegations. Tate too denied her charges of causing or allowing the death of her child. The trial continues.