[Faline]

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.

[blaqk]

sick motherfuckers, I would love an hour alone with them to payback. its a child...pick on someone your own size

[Karma]

If there's anything that gets me in a rage it's reading stuff like this. Just let me get my hands on the two of them, the so called 'mother' and the POS who did this to that kid....And yet, what will their 'punishment' be? Frick all.

[DiamondSmiles]

The cowards are too chicken shit to pick on a guy 7 feet tall.

[bob351]

Shit like this eats me inside.

[xstunt1ngx]

Wow. Speechless.

[Pyramid_Head]

Sick world we live in...

[khathryn]

I do not understand, for the life of me, how a woman can carry a child for 9 months, and then suddenly not give a shit how (s)he is treated. I don't get it at all. Even if she never personally laid a finger on him, she still deserves life in prison - and she needs to have her crime tattooed on her forehead for all of the other prisoners to see.

And the boyfriend? I can't think of a punishment that would suit him. My mind may be sick and twisted, but not sick and twisted enough for that.

[Megamel29]

They both need to be locked up. I hope the other inmates get word of what they did.