Damage to the eyes of a three year old boy allegedly murdered by a Wolverhampton couple was similar to that suffered in a head on car crash, a jury heard today.

Dr Richard Bomsheck, a consultant ophthalmic pathologist who examined Ryan Lovell-Hancox, told Wolverhampton Crown Court: “For this to have been caused by an accidental injury it would have to be severe and in the order of a head on car crash.”

He agreed when prosecutor Christopher Hotten QC commented: “This is an indication of the force involved.”

Dr Bomsheck examined Ryan after the boy died from a cardiac arrest 38 hours after being taken unconscious to hospital.

He found haemorrhaging of the retina in both eyes, the court heard.

He continued: “Taken together the findings of my examinations were a strong indicator of trauma and non accidental injury.

“A rotational motion has been associated with this type of optical damage and there is evidence in this case of injury to the side of the head.

“An impact injury such as that found does seem to be associated with injury of this nature.”

Dr Bomsheck told the jury that he had seen similar non-accidental injury in a child killed in a head on car accident.

He added: “For it to have been caused accidentally it would have to have been a severe injury in the order of that caused in an incident like the traffic accident I have described.”

He suggested another case where the injuries had been caused accidental was when a child had fallen over a first floor banister onto stairs and the floor.

Ryan was taken to hospital unconscious suffering from a brain haemorrhage after being found on December 22 2008 in a flat in Slim Avenue, Bradley, where he had been cared for for three weeks by Kayley Boleyn, now 19, and her boyfriend Christopher Taylor, now 25.

The teenager had agreed to look after the boy because his mother Amy Hancox was having trouble coping with him.

Ryan was taken to New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, and later transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where he died 38 hours later without regaining consciousness on Christmas Eve.

Boleyn and Taylor initially claimed that the boy had been hurt in a fall in the bath but started blaming each other after this explanation was rejected by doctors, the court heard.

Pathologist Dr Stephen Wills said found at least up to ten deep bruises on the head of Ryan, the court heard.

He said: “These could all have occurred at one time or potentially at different times and could even have been caused by one blow with multiple points of impact.”

Boleyn and Taylor both deny murder and child cruelty. He also pleads not guilty to causing or allowing the death of a child while she admits allowing the death.

The case continues.