Mum & dad ‘murdered 10-week-old daughter hours after being told she could no longer live at home over neglect fears’
A MUM and dad murdered their ten-week-old daughter just hours after being told that their baby could no longer live at home, a court heard.
Lauren Saint George and Darren Hurrell, both 25, have been accused of murdering Lily-Mai Saint George by shaking her to death back in February 2018.
The tot was just ten weeks old when she died just hours after hearing steps were being taken to safeguard her care.
Jurors were told that Lily had been released into their care on January 25, 2018, against the advice of hospital staff who feared neglect.
However, the medics had their concerns overruled by social services after being told nothing could be done.
But Wood Green Crown Court was told social worker Theresa Ferguson informed the couple a week later that Lily would have to go into a residential unit.
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Later that night Saint George made a 999 call reporting that their daughter had stopped breathing and was unresponsive.
And Lily tragically passed away in Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital on February 2.
A post mortem found she died from a serious head injury and had also suffered 18 rib breaks, two fractures in her right leg and severe bruising.
Prosecuting the case Sally O'Neil QC said: "Almost all of the professionals at the hospital were opposed to the baby being discharged into the parents' care at home.
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"They had expressed their concern about the parents' ability to meet the baby's emotional, developmental and physical needs on many occasions to the social services.
"But nonetheless, the decision was made to discharge the baby into the care of her parents and the hospital had to accept that and deal with the situation as best they could."
The court heard this morning Lily-Mai was born prematurely in November 2017 and spent the first two months of her life in hospital.
Staff were worried Saint George and Hurrell - who had been homeless - were incapable of looking after her and made referrals to social services.
Neonatal sister Deborah Hodge said Lily-Mai's mother had told staff that she "hated" the noises Lily-Mai made and wished she would "cry instead of groaning".
Staff held meetings with them on January 16, 2018, and six days later where they expressed "concerns about the possibility of neglect".
Saint George and Hurrell both deny murder, manslaughter, causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16 years old.
Mrs O'Neill QC said of the 999 call: "Lauren Saint George said that their baby wasn't breathing, that she was premature, had anaemia and had gone white and floppy so she thought her anaemia had kicked in.
"Darren Hurrell said that she had a heartbeat but wasn't breathing and later that she was trying to gasp for air.
"Lauren Saint George said that she wasn't responsive "like she's not opening her eyes or crying"."
"The paramedics arrived very shortly afterwards and found the baby blue around her lips and nose and very pale. She wasn't breathing or moving but had a pulse. She was given emergency ventilation.
"When asked what had happened, Darren Hurrell said that he had picked the baby up from her cot because she was crying and her head fell back and she became floppy and stopped breathing.
"He said he had performed CPR on her and said the baby had been pale and unsettled for a couple of days and not taking her milk properly."
The little one was taken to North Middlesex Hospital where a CT scan revealed bleeding in her brain, jurors heard.
She was then transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital where she was found with brain haemorrhages and areas of brain death.
Doctors decided not to resuscitate her after her condition worsened.
A post-mortem examination revealed Lily's injuries were all recent in nature and hinted towards "suspected physical abuse".
Bruises were also discovered on the baby's body of a nature consistent with impact or gripping, jurors were told.
Ms O'Neill said: "The conclusion…was that this was an example of a fatal head injury of the shaking or impact type and he concluded that the cause of death was head injury.
"The injuries were said to be in keeping with suspected physical abuse.
"It is the Crown's case that these two defendants, Lily-Mai's parents, were responsible for her death and that these fatal injuries were caused to Lily-Mai by forceful shaking shortly before that 999 call only six days after she had been discharged into their care."
O'Neill continued: "At both meetings the Neonatal Team expressed their concerns about the possibility of neglect and asked about the possibility of a mother and baby unit to allow closer supervision of Lily-Mai and assessment of the parents' ability to meet her needs."
Lead social worker Theresa Ferguson, from Haringey Child and Family Services, allegedly told the hospital team that this was not an option.
Ms O'Neill said: "Almost all of the professionals at the hospital were opposed to the baby being discharged into the parents' care at home and had expressed their concern about the parents' ability to meet the baby's emotional, developmental and physical needs on many occasions to the Social Services.
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"Nonetheless, the decision was made to discharge the baby into the care of her parents and the hospital had to accept that and deal with the situation as best they could."
The trial continues.