LAWYERS in the trial of a west Belfast man accused of murdering his baby daughter made final submissions on Wednesday over the cause of the toddler's death three years ago.
The prosecution told the Craigavon Crown Court jury in Armagh that Christopher O'Neill (26) had lost his self-control and in a rage used considerable violence against three-month-old Caragh Walsh.
Toby Hedworth QC said it was not their case that O'Neill, of Whiterock Road in Belfast, set out to murder his daughter, but that he had simply snapped, leaving her with injuries akin to those seen in high-speed crashes.
However, the defence in its final submissions to the jury of 10 men and one woman dismissed the claims as "utterly fanciful", speculative, and "sheer wishful thinking".
O'Neill, said Patrick Lyttle QC, was a devoted, caring father who was looking after a sick child and did all he could for the daughter he loved, an innocent man who should be found not guilty of murder and even of manslaughter.
Today trial judge Madam Justice McBride is expected to review the law and details of the case for the jury before asking them to retire to consider their verdict in the four-week trial.
