"What have you done?" mother asked father on trial for murdering infant son

A paediatrician has told the Central Criminal Court that a six-month-old infant could not have formed or swallowed the wad of tissue found in his throat. Dr Hilary Stokes testified during the trial of John Tighe, aged 40, of Lavallyroe, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, who denies murdering his son Joshua Sussbier Tighe on 1 June 2013. The prosecution alleges the tissue caused the child's death. Dr Stokes stated that infants at that developmental stage lack the manual dexterity and chewing ability required to compress tissue into such a wad, and would be unable to swallow an object of that size voluntarily. She further indicated the wad could not have become lodged as described through attempts to remove it. Earlier, a sergeant recalled that the child's mother asked the accused upon arriving at the home: "What have you done?" The trial continues before Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury at the Central Criminal Court.