Father accused of murder 'never hurt' son - trial told

A County Armagh man accused of killing his infant son denied hurting him when interviewed by police, a trial has heard.

Craig Rowland, 29, of Millington Park in Portadown, is charged with the murder and manslaughter of Lewis Oliver Rowland, who died on 20 October 2018.

Lewis was 13 weeks old when he was admitted to Craigavon Area Hospital with “serious head injuries” in November 2015.

The infant died three years later after complications arising from surgery.

On Tuesday, transcripts of police interviews with the defendant were read to the jury at Belfast Crown Court.

The court heard the first police interview was conducted with Mr Rowland on 17 May 2016, after his arrest on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and child cruelty.

The court was told the child’s mother, Laura Graham, was also arrested for the same offences.

When asked about the child’s injuries, Mr Rowland told police: “No one has caused this, me or Laura wouldn’t have hurt him.”

The jury heard the defendant also denied shaking his son "to any degree".

“Me and Laura have never hurt him, never touched him, never done anything to that wee man," he said.

“You can try to put the force on us all you want."

When asked whether anyone else could have injured the 13 week old, Mr Rowland replied: "No."

He added that “he’s always been by our side or Laura’s side".

“It’s always her, or either me or her,” he said.

Mr Rowland later described Ms Graham as a “good mum”.

During police interviews, the accused was also asked about the period before Lewis was first admitted to Craigavon Area hospital in October 2015.

Mr Rowland described how his son had what he and the child’s mother thought was a seizure, when he was six weeks old.

He told police that his son’s hands and legs were moving about and that his eyes began to roll back.

He told detectives that the same episode occurred again, before Lewis was admitted to hospital.

In the police interview, Mr Rowland was also asked about how his son slept at night and which parent was more likely to get up to feed him in the middle of the night.

The accused told officers that Lewis’s mother would have been up more frequently with the child than him.

“He’s never alone with me, he’s always with Laura, or me, him and Laura,” he said.

Mr Rowland later gave “no comment” answers to a number of questions asked by police about the seizure he believed his son was having.

He told police that he wasn’t going to repeat what he had previously said to officers and was “sick and tired” of going over it.

The court heard Mr Rowland explain in the interview how he and the child’s mother walked Lewis to hospital from their home at Millington Park in Portadown on 20 October 2015.

When asked why he and the child’s mother hadn’t called for an ambulance, Mr Rowland told police they didn’t have a phone at the time.

He added that they tried to flag an ambulance down, while walking to the hospital, but that this was unsuccessful.

Mr Rowland, who is on bail, has previously pleaded guilty to a charge of wilfully neglecting the child.

The child’s mother, Ms Graham, has also pleaded guilty to the same charge.

The trial continues.