Both parents are on trial over the death of the 21-month-old toddler, who was heard by the neighbor screaming "stop mommy, stop daddy" days before she was stamped to death.
Kathryn Smith, 23 years old and her partner Matthew Rigby, 22, are both accused of murdering their own daughter, Ayeeshia Jane Smith, who died from laceration to her heart, which was caused by a foot stamp on her chest that triggered a cardiac arrest.
Birmingham Crown Court heard the little girl was also found with to have suffered other injuries including bruises to her head, left eyelid, neck, left leg, buttocks and to her back. In addition, consultant pathologist Dr. Safa Al-Suraj said he also found evidence of bleeding and said the injuries, which Ayeeshia obtained could have been caused by shaking. "She was starved of oxygen immediately before death," he added during a court hearing.
Tracey Roberts, the family's neighbor, told the jury she frequently heard loud noises and arguing coming from Smith and Rigby's flat. And there was also an event (days before the toddler died), she heard screaming that was coming from the couple's house, then, she heard a child's voice begging, "stop mommy, stop daddy and sounded upset."
The court heard, on May 1, 2014 at around 4 p.m., Ms. Smith called 999 and told the operator that her daughter, Ayeeshia, was barely breathing. And at around 5 p.m., the toddler was declared dead at Burton's Queen's Hospital, where both parents told the medical team that their daughter had a seizure.
However, prosecutor Christopher Hotten said a post-examination revealed that Ayeeshia suffered a fatal wound to her heart and had three broken ribs. "The likely mechanism was a forceful stamp to her chest as she lay down," he added.
Nevertheless, Smith and Rigby, both from Nottingham, strongly denied the murder as well as the child cruelty charges. The trial is scheduled to continue, according to Mirror.
