Northern Ireland

Jury sees footage from police body-worn cameras as they attended scene of fatal baby stabbing

Laganside Court in Belfast
Laganside Court in Belfast Laganside Court in Belfast

FOOTAGE recorded on the body-warn cameras of police officers who attended the scene of a fatal stabbing in Belfast was played to a jury today.

The recordings showed the immediate attempts of officers who tried to save the life of an eight-week-old baby boy.

The child's mother - who can't be named for legal reasons - is currently standing trial at Belfast Crown Court on charges of murdering her son and of attempting to murder her two-and-a-half year old daughter.

The 30-year old accepts she stabbed the youngsters in their Belfast home on July 27, 2021 but has denied the two charges.

On the second day of the trial, footage from cameras worn by the first-response officers who arrived at around 8pm was played which Judge Donna McColgan warned the jury they may find "distressing."

The pixilated videos showed the accused sitting on her living room floor in handcuffs and bleeding from a self-inflicted wound to her neck.

Whilst one officer is seen removing the bloodied, injured and crying girl from the living room, a colleague can be seen lifting the baby boy from a bed.

He can be heard saying "the baby's still warm but I can't feel a pulse" before placing him gently on the floor then starting to perform CPR on the hard surface.

The footage also captures a policeman attempting to drive the injured girl to hospital in a PSNI car before handing her over to paramedics.

The accused - who kept her head bowed in the dock and wept whilst the videos were being shown - can be heard on the video saying "I'm so sorry" before she is led from her home and into the back of a police car.

Also heard during Friday's sitting was evidence from both police and paramedics who attended the scene and treated both children.

A constable at the scene recalled observing a bloodied knife in the living room, and when asked about the accused's demeanor, he confirmed she was "very calm and quiet and appeared to be emotionless."

A paramedic who arrived at the scene said she was approached by a policeman holding "a little girl wrapped in a blanket" and how "continuous CPR" was conducted on the baby boy until he arrived at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Children.

The girl was successfully treated for a stab wound to her chest, whereas her baby brother - who was stabbed twice - was pronounced dead at 9pm.

The trial is due to resume next Monday February 6.