'Murdered' Two-Year-Old Boy Had 91 Injuries

A two-year-old boy who had 91 separate injuries on his body was killed by his mother's boyfriend and she failed to protect the child from him, a court has heard.

Daniel Rigby, 23, of Tyldesley, Wigan, denies murdering Rio Smedley, who died of a ruptured liver, and claims he fell down the stairs while in his care.

Rio suffered "a course of ill-treatment and violent conduct" and his injuries were likely to have been caused by "heavy blows" from "punches, kicks, knees and stamping", Manchester Crown Court was told.

Prosecuting, Simon Phillips QC said: "Many of the bruises on his body indicated that Rio had been repeatedly punched and possibly slapped, pinched or prodded."

Some of the bruises indicated "heavy impacts" with "solid surfaces or objects", the court heard.

The jury was told a pathologist found 91 separate marks of injury including 40 bruises and abrasions to his head and face.

There were also 11 bruises and abrasions to his abdomen, a 9.5cm x 3.7cm bruise to his buttock, seven bruises and abrasions to both his arms, and 20 injuries to his legs and feet.

The child's mother, Kirsty Smedley, 24, has pleaded not guilty to allowing or causing the death of a child.

The prosecution says she failed to protect her son from Rigby.

Mr Phillips said Rio died on April 22 after his mother called 999 and reported he was not moving. She told the emergency service he had "fallen down four steps and banged his head" at their home.

Rio was taken to taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital but later died of a ruptured liver.

The prosecution claimed his fatal injury was the "culmination of a course of ill-treatment and violent conduct towards the child".

Mr Phillips said the pathologist "concluded that Rio had died as a direct consequence of blood loss from a liver injury that had been caused by one or more heavy blows to the abdomen, most likely from one or more punches, kicks, stampings or knee-ings".

Mr Phillips said Smedley needed to be held responsible for allowing Rio to be put in danger and it was "her duty to protect him from harm".

He said she "failed to take steps to ensure the safety of the child" and "she did nothing to prevent Rio being exposed to the risk of harm from Daniel Rigby" in that she would leave him in his unsupervised care.

The trial continues.