Court to discard statements by man accused of attempting to murder baby
Statements made by a man eight years ago, when he was under suspicion for attempting to murder his partner’s baby, may not be considered as evidence against him since they were made without legal assistance, a court has declared. The now 34-year old man, whose name has been banned from publication ever since his arraignment in 2014, stands accused of attempting to murder the 10-month old baby, seriously injuring the child as well as possessing cocaine and cannabis. Both the man and the baby’s mother were arraigned, both pleading not guilty to the charges. The baby girl suffered serious head and leg injuries when she was allegedly thrown into her cot. Following the alleged incident, the baby ended up in hospital, battling for life. The prosecution had also informed the court about a previous court order issued against the accused in view of the poor living conditions to which the infant was being subjected. While criminal proceedings continue, the man’s lawyers minuted a request to have the statements he made almost eight years ago, immediately after the alleged incident, to be discarded by the court when delivering judgment. The man had released two statements, first before the...