Crowborough father accuses ex-partner of shaking their baby to death

A dad accused of murdering his own eight-week-old daughter said he now believes his former partner shook their baby to death when he left them alone to smoke a joint and watch pornography.

Michael Roe, 33, told a jury: “So, listening to the evidence, it was the last person who held Holly who injured Holly.”

Danny Robinson QC for Tiffany Tate asked him: “You are trying to say it was Tiffany Tate?”

“That’s what I’m trying to say,” Mr Roe said.

Lewes Crown Court in Hove heard Mr Roe said he usually smoked three joints of cannabis a night and he had been too embarrassed to tell police he went to his shed.

Mr Robinson asked why he would leave out details when he was being accused of killing his baby.

Mr Roe said: “Yes, it was embarrassing for me.”

Earlier, Mr Roe said he noticed the baby’s hands had moved from the position he left her in before going to his shed to watch pornography and smoke cannabis.

Mr Roe said he had been too embarrassed to admit what he was doing when his baby was killed.

Asked by Mr Robinson why he had never told police or said in public until yesterday he noticed the hands had moved, Mr Roe said: “I didn’t know then.”

The jury have been told prosecutors believe Mr Roe inflicted the injuries which killed Holly Roe on September 10, 2018.

Tiffany Tate, 22, and Michael Roe are both charged with murder.

They are both also charged with allowing the other to kill their baby.

Holly was born two months premature and the couple brought her home in August 2018.

She was eight-weeks-old when she died from brain injures caused by violent shaking.

Post mortem examinations found 12 rib fractures and evidence of at least three separate brain injuries.

Mr Robinson said: “Your evidence has been there was a time in the lead up to her death that you weren’t with Holly and that it was only Tiffany Tate who was with her then and, obviously because it wasn’t you, Tiffany Tate might have caused those brain injuries.”

Mr Roe said: “She must have.”

Danny Robinson QC told Mr Roe he had taken every chance to shift the blame for Holly’s death onto his former partner Tiffany Tate.

“It suited your purposes to make her look as bad as possible as soon as possible,” he said.

“No.

“I was raising my concerns,” Mr Roe said.

Mr Robinson asked him why he only admitted trying to feed his baby with a syringe up her nose after mum Tiffany Tate told police about it.

He asked Mr Roe why he had not mentioned giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to Holly when police were desperate for any information which could help explain how she died.

Mr Roe was also asked to explain why he did not tell police he had taken tramadol on the night his baby was killed.

“I’ve no idea,” he said.

“Pass. I’ve just not mentioned it,” Mr Roe said.

Mr Robinson told him: “You wanted to see what the evidence was so you could tailor your account round it, didn’t you?”

Mr Roe said: “No.”

Michael Roe and Tiffany Tate both deny murder and allowing the other to kill their baby.

The trial continues