Darlington toddler may have been 'shaken or thrown with considerable force' before death, jury told
by David Huntley · ChronicleLiveA Darlington toddler may have been "shaken or thrown with considerable force" before his death, a jury has heard.
Christopher Stockton is currently facing a trial at Teesside Crown Court accused of murdering 22-month-old Charlie Roberts in January. The 38-year-old, of Neasham Road, Darlington, is also accused of child cruelty, said to be committed between May 1 last year and January 14 this year. He denies both charges.
The mother of Charlie, Paula Roberts, of Frosterley Drive in Darlington, is also standing trial accused of child neglect. The 41-year-old denies the charge.
On Thursday, Nicholas Lumley KC opened the case and told the jury that Charlie tragically died from the "catastrophic effects of a head injury". He said that Stockton was in a relationship with Roberts at the time, but is not the child's father.
Mr Lumley said: "One day in January, Paula Roberts left her little son, Charlie, in the care of Christopher Stockton. Stockton was not Charlie’s father...he had been the partner of Paula Roberts for some time. He knew young Charlie well enough. He was in a trusted position of responsibility, when Charlie’s mother left the two of them alone in the house that morning, entrusting her son to his care.
"Within a very short time, Christopher Stockton was to make a 999 call, wanting an ambulance. According to him, for no good reason, Charlie had become lifeless and floppy. He spoke of how Charlie had appeared to be choking on something. He can’t have been."
The jury heard that Charlie was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, but sadly died the next day. Mr Lumley continued: "Charlie’s life could not be saved; he died the next day, from the catastrophic effects of a head injury, not because he had swallowed something, not because he’d choked on anything.
"The prosecution say that Christopher Stockton - and nobody else - is responsible for Charlie’s death; that he shook or threw him with such violence, deliberately and forcefully harming little Charlie. So it is that he is charged with Charlie’s murder."
Mr Lumley continued: "In a very short time, for that is all it takes to lose one’s temper, [Stockton] must have assaulted Charlie by shaking or throwing him with considerable force."
The jury was told that there is no suggestion Roberts harmed Charlie in a way which could have killed him. However, the toddler had, over a number of weeks and months, suffered a number of minor injuries.
Mr Lumley said: "He may have been deliberately harmed, indeed some of the injuries can only really be explained in that way, but he had certainly not been properly cared for; he had been cruelly neglected. His mother, who had the day to day care of Charlie and obvious responsibility for him and Christopher Stockton, who was a regular presence in Charlie’s life, are both charged with neglecting Charlie over the months leading up to his death."
The jury also heard the 999 call Stockton made, when he claimed Charlie was "choking". Stockton could be heard saying 'come on, cough it up'. When paramedics arrived, he told them Charlie had choked on a biscuit, the court heard.
Upon arrival, a paramedic looked into Charlie’s mouth using a special device to check his airways and found nothing. In hospital, scans of Charlie's head showed that there was bleeding in and around his brain, as well as bleeding to his eyes.
Mr Lumley added that doctors suspected Charlie had been the subject of inflicted trauma which was not an accident. The court heard that in 2023, there had also been concerns raised regarding bruising on Charlie. The relationship between Stockton and Roberts also "became rocky" and she was said to have purchased a "spy camera" and installed it in Charlie’s room because she was concerned about Stockton and Charlie.
The jury was told that Stockton’s case is that he simply did not cause Charlie’s death and will deny harming or neglecting him. Roberts will contend that any marks or injuries were the result of everyday existence, and not inflicted by her and were, more often than not, brought to the attention of others by her.
The trial continues.
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