Crowborough baby murder trial: 999 call played to jury

In the call, the father of eight-week-old Holly Roe can be heard following instructions from the operator, desperately trying to keep her alive.

Jurors were visibly upset by the call which covers the ten minutes it took for emergency services to arrive.

Dad Michael Roe and his former partner Tiffany Tate are both charged with murdering their baby daughter Holly.

He dialled 999 after finding her cold and unresponsive in a Moses basket by their bed on September 10, 2018.

He told the 999 operator she was not breathing and asked for an ambulance.

Mr Roe became steadily more upset in the dock as the tape was played.

In it, he can be heard breathing into Holly’s mouth and counting off chest compressions over and over again as an ambulance raced to the family home in Crowborough.

The jury at Lewes Crown Court were visibly shocked as minutes passed of Mr Roe counting off chest compressions on his tiny baby.

The operator is heard urging him to keep calm and reassures him the ambulance is on its way.

As the recording progressed, his voice becomes more strained and he can be heard getting more and more upset between breaths and compressions.

In court, Mr Roe broke down in tears as the jury heard the counting and breathing over and over again.

Sitting at the other end of the dock, his former partner and Holly’s mother Tiffany Tate sat with her head bowed but showed no emotion.

Mrs Justice Moulder signalled for the playback of the tape to be stopped before the ambulance crew arrived and sent the jury out on an extended lunch break.

Sally Howes QC for the Crown said the prosecution believe Michael Roe is more likely to be responsible for the death of Holly.

The eight week-old-baby was shaken to death by one parent and the other allowed it to happen, Ms Howes said.

She told jurors they must decide which one murdered their infant baby and which parent failed to prevent it.

Young mum Tate, 21, and her former partner Roe, 32, both deny murdering Holly Roe and causing or allowing her death at their home in September 2018.

The premature baby suffered multiple, non-accidental and abusive head injuries caused by violent shaking with or without impact and 12 rib fractures in her short life, the court heard.

Both are also accused of allowing her death at the hands of the other, Ms Howes said.

“It will be for you to decide, having listened to all of the evidence in the case, whether you are sure it was Tiffany Tate or Michael Roe who is guilty of murder.

“Both Tiffany Tate and Michael Roe are charged with the murder of Holly.

“However, it is the position of the prosecution that the preponderance of evidence suggests that Michale Roe is responsible for the unlawful act that killed Holly.

“However, there is also evidence that points towards Tiffany Tate being responsible for that unlawful act,” Ms Howes said.

The court heard Ms Tate agreed she told her former partner she felt like throwing the baby against the wall.

Ms Howes said Holly had stopped breathing in a dress rehearsal a week before her death when she had been in the sole charge or Michael Roe.

Ms Howes told the jury he had no patience with his daughter and tried to feed Holly through the nose using a syringe.

Holly Roe’s parents sat at either end of the dock.

Over three days of opening remarks from Sally Howes QC, Tiffany Tate and Michael Roe have never once looked at each other or exchanged words.

A dock officer sits between them at all times.

Former foster child Tiffany Tate was only 19 when she moved in with Michael Roe.

They lived together at Alderbrook Road in Crowborough when baby Holly was born two months premature on July 14, 2018.

Ms Tate admitted she had trouble bonding with her daughter while she was still in the premature baby unit which continued after Holly was allowed home.

When the baby cried, she became frustrated and panicked, Ms Howes said.

Michael Roe told a health visitor he took over night feeds as Tiffany Tate had no patience with Holly.

Emergency services were called to the house eight weeks later in the early hours of Monday, September 10, 2018 after the couple reported she was having breathing difficulties.

Holly was found to be cold, not breathing and with no heart activity at all, Ms Howes said.

Paramedics battled to save her before she was taken to Pembury Hospital in Tunbridge Wells where she was pronounced dead.

Ms Howes said the jury would hear from experts who could explain complex evidence to them in easy to understand terms.

“There is a pattern adopted by these experts,” Ms Howes said.

“First they explain what they found.

“Second, they can put an age on these findings.

“Thirdly, they address what could possibly have caused these findings,” Ms Howes said.

Port mortem examinations showed numerous signs of injury on her tiny body.

Eight-week-old Holly had suffered head injuries on three different occasions before her death and 12 rib fractures.

The first was a few weeks before her death, the second several days before and the final brain injury within 48 hours, Ms Howes said.

The pattern of injuries showed they were the result of non-accidental and abusive head trauma, consultant neuropathologist Prof Safa Al-Sarrau said.

Forensic Pathologist Dr Charlotte Randall said death was due to head injury.

The likely mechanism of Holly’s injuries would have been violent shaking and forceful impact against a surface or forceful impact alone.

Multiple fracture injuries to Holly’s ribcage were also often associated with shaking-type head injury, Ms Howes said.

Former consultant paediatric neurosurgeon Peter Richards said in his opinion Holly’s behaviour would not have been normal following the injuries she suffered.

“He would have anticipated her being unconscious from the point of injury.

“The injuries she presented with were not compatible with normal behaviour and, in particular, not compatible with feeding,” Ms Howes said.

Dr Nicola Cleghorn said Holly would have been extremely distressed by the pain from her rib fractures.

During police interviews, Ms Tate said her partner had asked her not to tell their health visitor he had tried to feed the baby through her nose with a syringe.

Ms Tate said the baby had stopped breathing following the feeding attempt a fortnight before Holly died.

She had wanted to tell police about the incident.

“He said it wasn’t important,” she said.

She admitted telling Mr Roe she felt like throwing Holly against the wall.

“She said she would never do that,” Ms Howes said.

“She denied shaking Holly.

“Mr Roe said he heard Tiffany say ‘Sometimes she frustrates me so much I could throw her up against the wall.

“I’ve had her ready in my hands to do it.”

Mr Roe, who had paediatric first aid training, tried to give Holly CPR after finding her cold and unresponsive in her Moses basket.

He told police he would smoke three cannabis joints a night.

Mr Roe also denied shaking Holly.

Holly died at 3.18am on September 10, 2018.

Unemployed Mr Roe was arrested almost 12 months later on September 3 last year and appeared in court for the first time the following day.

He wore a black suit and black tie on the first day of the trial at Lewes Crown Court.

Ms Tate, also unemployed, was summonsed to appear in court on a lesser charge of causing or allowing the death of her child.

She was later charged with murdering baby Holly.

The Honourable Mrs Justice Clare Moulder assured jurors they would not be asked to view any distressing material during the trial which is expected to last up to six weeks.

Ms Tate and Mr Roe both deny murder and the alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of their baby.

The trial at Lewes Crown Court continues.