Father 'was concerned' about baby

A man accused of murdering his baby daughter has told a court he was concerned about her before she died, but did not tell anyone about it.

Craigavon Crown Court also heard on Friday that the father told the police the child's mother was violent towards himself.

Paul Owens is accused of murdering Jasmine McGowan in his flat at Acacia Avenue in Twinbrook on the outskirts of Belfast in August 1999.

Mr Owens, who is 29 and originally from Shrewsbury, is also charged with causing her cruelty.

He has denied the charges.

'I didn't hurt her'

The court heard on Friday that in an interview carried out on 8 August 1999, two days after baby Jasmine died, Paul Owens told the police "he hadn't got a clue" how his 14-week-old daughter had died.

He told police he did not know how she had received 25 separate fractures to her ribs before her death.

"I know that I never did anything to hurt her," he said.

Paul Owens then said Jasmine's mother Roisin McGowan had been violent towards him during their relationship.

"Roisin punched and slapped me on several occasions. She had to get her own way. Roisin kept me a prisoner in the flat," the court heard Mr Owens told police.

The court heard Mr Owens told the police he had concerns about the baby but did not tell anyone because his partner was always present.

He said that although he had brought Jasmine to see a doctor just days before she died, he did not tell of his concerns because Roisin McGowan "had kept phoning me".

Child abuse analysis

Earlier on Friday, an expert on the circumstances of child abuse told the court that Jasmine had died from brain hemorrhages caused by being shaken violently.

Professor Sir Roy Meadow said bleeding on the brain Jasmine had suffered would have been "extremely painful and could only have occurred with severe violence".

Professor Meadow also said that the multiple fractures to Jasmine's ribs were caused by gripping or squeezing her chest "very hard indeed" and "were characteristic of physical abuse".

Under cross examination Professor Meadow said that the severity of Jasmine's bleeding and the state she was in when she arrived in hospital made him think that Jasmine had very recent injuries.

He added that Jasmine had shown "a remarkable capacity to recover from previous injuries".

The trial continues.