Accused mother says infant son was injured by father

She claimed it was her former partner who caused the injuries in January last year when both appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons to protect the identity of the child, are both in their 20s and from Walsall.

The father has pleaded guilty to one charge of cruelty to a person under the age of 15, and he is being tried on three counts of causing or allowing serious harm to a child.

The boy's mother has admitted two counts of causing or allowing serious harm to a child, and denied one count.

She has also pleaded guilty to one count of cruelty to a person under the age of 15.

The court heard on Monday that social services were first alerted to the three-year-old's injuries when the mother had dropped off one of her children at nursery.

Staff had claimed the mother had tried to conceal facial injuries using a peaked cap, which she denied.

The mother said her former partner had come back from work on January 16 and she had decided to go to the shops.

She said: "We had a small argument about money but eventually he gave me some for shopping."

She said she returned to the house to find her children upset and the next morning she had noticed bruising to the boy's eye and cheek area.

She said: "I was angry but I let him play because I wanted to make breakfast.

"He was playing and he fell, so I stripped him down and cuddled him until he calmed down.

"That was the first time I saw he had quite serious bruising on his legs."

The mother said she had lied about how the injuries had occurred to police during later interviews because she was scared her former partner would leave them with no home and no money.

The father had admitted during an earlier hearing he had lost his temper and slapped the three-year-old three times, causing bruising to his legs, but denied causing further injuries.

The trial continues.