A DOCTOR told a jury yesterday a little girl would have been in obvious pain from earlier fractures in the weeks before her death last December, allegedly at the hands of her father.
Consultant paediatric radiologist Alan Sprigg said he examined X-rays and scans taken after 16-month-old Amy Louise Howson died and identified six previous fractures to her arms and legs.
The jury at Leeds Crown Court has heard Amy died after a fr
acture dislocation to her back which was "literally snapped in two".
Her father, James Howson, 25, of Nelson Road, Edlington, Doncaster denies murdering Amy and cruelty by assaulting her. He admits cruelty by failing to get her medical attention.
Dr Sprigg said five of the limb fractures he saw were healing, indicating they had occurred four to eight weeks previously, while the other to her right forearm was less than seven days old.
He told Leeds Crown Court one of those earlier fractures above the right elbow was a displaced break which would be associated with a lot of swelling.
That was due to over extension from a "yanking" injury with force and would not only be painful at the time of injury but for many days afterwards.
He said: "If you were bathing her, dressing her, putting on a babygrow or a coat to go out, moving the arm you would expect the child to cry out in pain."
"Children this age can't always tell you they are in pain. What tends to happen is for them to stop using the arm while the bone fragments are grating together."
He said there was also a healing fracture around the same age to the left elbow which could have been caused at the same time if both arms were over extended together.
He told the jury he also found three fractures to the left leg which could have occurred with a forceful grab and twisting and would be painful. "All the injuries were around the same maturity so they could be one event or three separate events."
Pathologist Professor Peter Vanesis said the spinal injury had been caused when the child's back had been forcefully pressed over an object.
Gary Burrell QC prosecuting said Howson had suggested Amy might have received it falling from her bed. "No that just doesn't fit the type of injury", said Professor Vanesis.
The trial continues.
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