Witness in Staffordshire baby murder case told accused to be honest with police
A witness in the trial of a man and a woman accused of killing their baby told detectives she advised the mother against telling lies.
Amy Clarke, aged 34, of Lichfield, and Sean Jefferson, aged 35, of Walsall, are on trial for the murder of five-week-old Darcy-Leigh Jefferson who was found not breathing at an address in Hudson Drive, Burntwood on March 27, 2022.
On Monday at Stafford Crown Court, prosecutor Mr Harpreet Sandhu read aloud the statement of witness Jane Smith, a friend of Clarke's.
Ms Smith stated: "On Mothering Sunday 2022 Amy rang me when I was at work. She told me Darcy had stopped breathing and had been rushed to hospital and that Sean was with her. She didn't say anything else and the call ended.
"The next time I heard from her was on April 8. I had a call at 4am from her mother's phone. She said she and Sean had been arrested due to Darcy's death. She said Darcy's rib had been broken.
"Amy asked if she could come to my home and I said 'no' because I have children aged under 16 and she sounded absolutely paralytic. She phoned again and asked if I had beer. I told her I don't keep drink in the house."
She stated she felt "sick to her stomach" when Clarke described the baby's injuries including that her brain had turned to "mush". She said she had also received a message from the defendant warning her not to tell anyone else what she said about the baby.
Ms Smith stated that the defendant had questioned whether others in the extended family were to blame for what happened.
She also told her that Jefferson had taken Darcy-Leigh downstairs to feed her. Clarke said Darcy-Leigh had "screamed" in a manner that she had not previously heard and she assumed the screaming was due to her being fed.
The witness said that she asked Clarke if she told the police about it and Clarke replied that Jefferson told her not to say anything as it "would make her look guilty".
She added that Clarke also told her that her drug test had been positive and that she had lied to the police about her drug taking. Ms Smith said she advised Clarke " to be honest" because if she lied about that, the police may be wondering what else she had told lies about.
She also described the defendants has having a "very toxic" relationship.
The prosecution allege that Darcy-Leigh suffered a 'catastrophic' brain injury after being assaulted by one or both of her parents and as a result she died on March 29, 2022. She also suffered 47 rib fractures and fractures to both legs along with bleeding to the back of her eyes.
Clarke, aged 34, of Enots Close, Lichfield, and Jefferson, aged 35, of Lichfield Road, Rushall, Walsall, both deny murder and causing or allowing Darcy-Leigh's death.
The trial continues.
