Hythe mum Chelsea Cuthbertson denies murdering her six-week-old baby Malakai

A SIX-WEEK-OLD baby died after suffering “traumatic head injuries” that a court heard were "likely" caused by his mother shaking him.

Chelsea Cuthbertson (28) has gone on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of killing tiny Malakai Watts in February 2019. She denies the single count of murder.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Sally Howes QC outlined how the defendant had called paramedics to her two-bedroom Knightwood Road flat in Hythe on the 2nd because Malakai had collapsed and was unresponsive.

She told paramedics and police she had gone outside to have a cigarette for "five minutes", and when she returned she found the infant had stopped breathing.

The medics managed to restart Malakai’s heart but it was weak, and after he was rushed to Southampton General Hospital and treated in its Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in what was effectively an induced coma, medics struggled to control seizures he was having.

A CT scan indicated bleeds on his brain and damage to his brain stem, and medics decided by 6th February he should be given palliative care and his life support switched off. He died at 1.48pm.

Subsequent investigations found Malakai’s cause of death to be “non accidental”, the court heard, with a post-mortem identifying he had also suffered eight rib fractures.

One of those fractures was older than the others, Ms Howes added.

“There was an extensive post-mortem investigation and the identified pathological findings assessed very traumatic head injuries,” Mrs Howes said.

“Likely they were inflicted by some form of shaking, possibly with some form of impact.”

She told the jury the post-mortem was carried out by forensic pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffrey, who arranged for a number of medical professionals and experts in incidents involving children to examine Malakai and the medical findings.

None of the prosecution experts found Malakai was suffering from any natural adverse causes that could have caused him to go into a sudden cardiac arrest, she said.

His injuries were “significant” and it was highly unlikely they had been caused by resuscitation techniques being carried out, the court was told.

Ms Howes said Cuthbertson and her partner, Del Watts, a car valet, smoked cannabis and had used cocaine.

They got together in 2014 and had what was described as an “on-off relationship” in court, but he was living with her at the time of the incident.

The night before, he had come home from work and the pair drank alcohol, smoked cannabis and tended to the child.

They both woke around 4am on 2nd February and he reported she seemed “argumentative”, so he backed off and slept in the lounge before going to work the next morning.

After hearing about what had happened, he raced home with the defendant’s mother Claire, and when they got there police were at the scene. One officer noted a “strong smell of cannabis”, the court heard.

It was also said that in the weeks after Malakai’s birth various health professionals had attended the couple’s home to help with the baby. Some had noted a smell of cannabis but none raised any concerns over the care of the child.

The trial is due to last five weeks.