Baby murder accused admits lies

A man accused of murdering his girlfriend's year-old baby told a court he lied to police to protect his partner.

Drug addict Aaron Goodman, 27, said he lied about what happened on the day the toddler died because he wanted to "paint a perfect picture" of former Bexhill woman Emma Back, whom, he claimed, neglected her son.

In court, Goodman said it was possible Back had gone in and hit the child he "treated like a son" while he made breakfast.

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Goodman claims the couple then went back to sleep and he later found the boy lying dead in the flat in Church Road, St Leonards, in December 2000, just days before the child's second birthday. The crown allege Goodman struck the youngster so hard in his stomach that his bowel ruptured. It is claimed he and the boy's 21-year-old mother, of Park Road, Bexhill, then left the boy's body lying there for more than two weeks.

Goodman told Lewes Crown Court the couple hatched the plan to lie to police because he wanted to protect his girlfriend. "I loved Emma to bits, I didn't want to paint her out as being a bad mother."

Goodman told the court he had woken up at about 8.30am on the morning of Sam's death and had given him a drink and put him back to bed before making breakfast for him and Emma. They then went back to bed until the afternoon.

"I woke and that's when I went in to get Sam up and he wouldn't wake up," he said.

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"I didn't call an ambulance because he was dead. If the injuries weren't caused by me trying to resuscitate him then I can't explain them. I didn't hit him and the only other explanation is that Emma went in to the room in the morning. But I don't think she would have done that to her child."

He told the court Back was the one who didn't want to alert the authorities because she could not come to terms with what had happened. He added he had lied to police about the events on that day to protect Emma because she was a poor mother.

"Just because I had a drug problem didn't mean I didn't love him. She never cooked him proper food, she never dressed him appropriately. She didn't bath him regularly or change his nappy," he claimed.

Goodman denies murder but admits conspiring to prevent Sam being given a lawful and decent burial. Back denies wilful neglect between August and December 2000 and conspiracy to prevent a burial.

The trial continues.

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