Bruising to Darlington toddler's ear not result of accident

Charlie Roberts suffered a non-survivable head injury at his home in Darlington in January this year while he was in the sole care of his mother’s partner.

Paula Roberts, 41, was out for an eye test and the little boy was being locked after by Christopher Stockton at the time, Teesside Crown Court has heard.

The 38-year-old denies murder and child neglect.

Charlie Roberts (Image: Family handout)

Roberts faces a single charge of child neglect, which she denies, in relation to injuries Charlie allegedly suffered prior to his death.

The day before, Roberts had told her brother that Charlie had suffered bruised ears when he lay down in his toy box after sleep-walking.

Dr Deborah Stalker, an expert paediatrician and specialist in child protection, studied photos of Charlie, the reports of medical experts and post-mortem images.

She told the jury she did not believe that Charlie did not suffer the bruised ear while sleep-walking.

She said: “In my opinion, this is a non-accidental injury, by that I mean it is a purposefully inflicted injury.

“Accidental injuries to the ear are very rare.”

She explained that the shoulder or head usually take the impact of a fall, rather than an ear.

“To injure the ear with the type of injuries that you see on Charlie’s ear requires a direct blow,” Dr Stalker said.

She dismissed the claim that Charlie could have bruised an ear while sleep-walking, saying: “Simple falls do not cause ear injuries.

“There has to be a direct force to bruise an ear, that doesn’t happen from a domestic tumble whether awake or asleep.”

Christopher Stockton, left, with Charlie Roberts and his mother, Paula (Image: Facebook)

Dr Stalker told the jury that injuries the toddler suffered to his penis in the months leading up to his would have been incredibly painful.

She said: “It’s a nasty laceration and there is no evidence of a skin disorder which could have caused this injury.

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“It would have been excruciatingly painful and not just at the time it was inflicted.”

Earlier in the trial, the jury had listened to the recording of the 999 call where the accused can be heard saying that Charlie wasn’t breathing properly after he had choked on something.

Jurors had heard how there was no evidence of anything being stuck in the toddler’s airways and hospital medics were soon able to identify the cause of Charlie’s ailing health.

The trial continues.