Darlington toddler died of significant head injuries

Charlie Roberts was found unresponsive by paramedics when they arrived at his Darlington home and despite their best efforts, he passed away the following day.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the bleed on the toddler’s brain was likely to have been caused when he was shaken and not from a fall.

Charlie, who was one year and ten month’s old when he died, had suffered a number of injuries in the months and weeks leading up to his death.

Paula Roberts, 41, was at the opticians and the little boy was being looked after by Christopher Stockton in the few short minutes before emergency services were called.

Charlie Roberts (Image: Family handout)

The 38-year-old, of Neasham Road, Darlington, denies murder and child neglect.

Roberts faces a single charge of child neglect, which she denies, in relation to injuries Charlie allegedly suffered prior to his death at his home on Frosterley Drive in January this year.

Dr Nigel Cooper, a Home Office pathologist, told the jury that the toddler’s cause of death was head injuries.

Dr Jo McPartland, a specialist in paediatric and perinatal pathology, examined the damage to Charlie’s eyeballs following his death and ruled out accidental causation.

Nicholas Lumley KC, prosecuting, asked the doctor if the pressure caused by Charlie’s bleed to the brain could have caused the damage to his eyes.

She said: “My findings in the eyes were caused by trauma and can not only be explained by a raise in intracranial pressure alone.”

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

The doctor also ruled out the possibility that coughing and choking could have resulted in the blood vessel haemorrhages in the toddler’s eyes.

Earlier in the trial, 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 suffered the bruised ear while sleep-walking.

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

The jury had also 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.