'˜Irritated' dad denies murder

A dad has admitted throwing his newborn baby daughter on a sofa in irritation and frustration that she woke up crying.
Preston Crown CourtPreston Crown Court
Preston Crown Court

John Burrill, 30, denies murdering eight-week-old Daisy-Mae Burrill but admits he caused the injuries which cost her her life.

Speaking from the witness box at Preston Crown Court, Burrill, of Gordon Road, Fleetwood, said his behaviour was “absolutely disgusting.”

“It plays on my mind every day”, he told the court.

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Daisy-Mae suffered a fractured skull, a large blood clot and signs of brain damage.

A post-mortem concluded she had been subjected to significant violence and her injuries were non-accidental.

Burrill said: “I would have thrown her quite forcibly. I know what I’m like when I lose my temper.”

On May 11, Burrill had been downstairs with his daughter and fed her before returning to the bedroom they shared with the little girl’s mum, Ashlee Cox.

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But a short time later the baby began to cry and Burrill was woken again.

He told the court; “I was tired. I had been up all night.

“I would say I was irritated and frustrated.”

Burrill took Daisy-Mae downstairs and put her in her Moses basket on a chair to see if she would settle before offering another feed.

The baby appeared quiet and Burrill switched on the TV news, but when the tot began to cry again he picked her up from her basket and threw her onto the settee.

He told the court there were a number of hard objects on the sofa, including the remote control and the receiver from the baby monitor, which he believes Daisy-Mae could have struck her head on.

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Following the incident he told Ashlee: “Daisy-Mae is not right” and called for an ambulance.

Daisy-Mae was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital and later transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Tests and scans revealed she had a number of injuries to her head, legs and ribs, which experts said were ‘non-accidental’.

Burrill denied hurting his daughter but on the day he was due to stand trial for her murder admitted he had thrown her on the settee.

However the prosecution did not accept his account and he remains charged with the little girl’s murder.

(Proceeding)

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