The mother of a young boy who died when he suffered fatal head injuries minutes after she left home for an appointment has pleaded guilty to child cruelty.

Paula Roberts has accepted that she failed to seek medical attention for injuries suffered her son’s ear and penis in the month leading up to the toddler’s death.

Teesside Crown Court heard how 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.

Charlie RobertsCharlie Roberts (Image: Family handout)

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Jurors were told 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 months old when he died, had suffered a number of injuries in the months and weeks leading up to his death.

His mother’s partner, Christopher Stockton, is charged with the toddler’s murder.

The trial of the 38-year-old, of Neasham Road, Darlington, continues.