Crowborough murder trial: Mum denies shaking eight-week-old baby daughter to death

A Crowborough mum accused of allowing her partner to murder their baby daughter denied choosing him over the life of the baby.
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Tiffany Tate said she always put her baby first despite agreeing she did nothing after an incident where baby Holly stopped breathing when she was home alone with dad Michael Roe.

The 22-year-old told a jury she did not mention the incident until after the baby died.

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She told the court, former partner, Mr Roe, 33, told her not to mention the incident to anybody.

Tiffany Tate outside Hove Crown CourtTiffany Tate outside Hove Crown Court
Tiffany Tate outside Hove Crown Court

Miss Tate, who was only 19 when Holly was born two months premature, had only recently left care.

She told Hove Crown Court she feared Social Services would take her baby away if she told anybody she thought Mr Roe had hurt their baby.

She left the two-month-premature baby alone with Mr Roe, 33, while she went for chips.

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When she came back, the baby was struggling for breath and Mr Roe gave her mouth-to-mouth, she said.

Tiffany Tate outside Hove Crown CourtTiffany Tate outside Hove Crown Court
Tiffany Tate outside Hove Crown Court

A week later Holly died from brain damage caused by at least three incidents of violent shaking.

Both parents are accused of murder and allowing the other to kill eight-week-old Holly.

Sally Howes QC for the prosecution asked Miss Tate, who is giving evidence with the help of an intermediary, if she knew what happened to her baby.

Ms Howes said: “Somebody broke Holly’s ribs, was it you?”

Tiffany Tate at an earlier hearing at Hove Crown CourtTiffany Tate at an earlier hearing at Hove Crown Court
Tiffany Tate at an earlier hearing at Hove Crown Court

Miss Tate said: “No.”

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“Somebody shook Holly and caused brain, eye and spinal damage to her body,” Ms Howes asked.

“Was that you?”

“No,” Miss Tate said.

Michael Roe is also charged with killing and allowing the death of baby HollyMichael Roe is also charged with killing and allowing the death of baby Holly
Michael Roe is also charged with killing and allowing the death of baby Holly

The young mum, who has been described as having learning difficulties, was asked what she did after her baby stopped breathing.

She said she did nothing.

Ms Howes asked her; “Did you think you were protecting her?”

Miss Tate said: “Yes”

She told the jury she thought Mr Roe had hurt her baby.

Ms Howes asked: “Did you think if you stayed there, he might do it again?”

Miss Tate said: “Yes.”

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Ms Howes asked her: “Did you choose Michael Roe over Holly?”

Miss Tate said: “No.”

Ms Howes asked her why she thought Social Services would take Holly.

“Because I was in care myself,” she said.

“My family got it inside my head that they would take her away.”

Ms Howes asked her: “Did you think if Mr Roe had been hurting Holly, you should say so?”

Miss Tate said: “Yes.”

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The young mum agreed she should have taken the baby to A&E immediately but did nothing.

She was asked about another occasion when she thought Mr Roe had hurt the baby.

Miss Tate told police Mr Roe had tried to feed the baby by putting a syringe full of milk up her nose.

She said Mr Roe had taken over the night feeds as she had trouble waking.

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“One night, Mike did the night feed,” Miss Tate told police.

“I could hear he was getting impatient and he fed her with a syringe up her nose.

“I went down and said What’s wrong.”

Miss Tate said the baby was distressed.

“When he did that, she was properly screaming,” Miss Tate told police.

Ms Howes asked her: “Did you think she was hurt?”

Miss Tate said: “At first I didn’t know.

“All I could hear was she was crying.”

Ms Howes asked her: “When you saw what he was doing and he said he was going to feed her up her nose, did you say No, Mike, and try to stop him?”

Miss Tate said: “No.”

“Did you think he might harm her,” Ms Howes asked.

“Yes.”

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Miss Tate said she thought her former partner had lost his temper with the baby.

Ms Howes asked: “Did you think it was a good thing to let him do anything with Holly when he was losing his temper?”

Miss Tate said: “No because that was putting Holly at risk.”

“Did you do anything to stop him,” Ms Howes asked.

“No.

“I’m not sure why.

“He said he didn’t want any help.”

Miss Tate said she had never heard a baby so distressed.

Ms Howes said: “He tells you to go upstairs and you go upstairs having never heard a baby cry like it before?”

“Yes,” Miss Tate said.

“I went back upstairs to bed.”

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Miss Tate agreed she should have done more to protect her baby.

Ms Howes asked the young mum why she had chosen to say with Mr Roe and continued to allow him to handle Holly when it was clear she was being harmed.

“A lot of bad things have happened when I wasn’t there or she’s been on her own.

“Yes. I could have done more,” Miss Tate said.

Earlier, the court heard Miss Tate admitted saying she had been so frustrated with trying to feed her newborn, she thought of throwing her against the wall.

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Ms Howes asked: “Did you ever get to the state where you did lose your temper and you did throw her against the wall?”

Miss Tate said: “I didn’t.

“I thought about it but I didn’t.”

The jury were told they have a duty to hear the whole case despite new lockdown restrictions.

Miss Tate and Mr Roe both deny murder and allowing the other to kill their baby at the family home in Crowborough, in September 2018.

The trial at Hove Crown Court continues.