Crime

Man denies injuring baby as jury hears police interview in ongoing abuse trial

Published

1 week ago

November 27, 2025

THE JURY in the trial of a Pembrokeshire man accused of physically and sexually assaulting a baby heard his police interview today, in which he repeatedly denied ever harming the child.

Christopher Phillips, aged 34, of Kiln Park, Burton, is charged with multiple offences after a baby – referred to only as Baby C – was rushed to Glangwili Hospital in the early hours of 24 January 2021 following a 999 call from a flat in Haverfordwest.

The child’s mother, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is also on trial. She denies allowing the baby to suffer serious physical harm and denies child cruelty.

Multiple injuries of different ages

Earlier in the week, the court heard that an x-ray revealed the baby had suffered a fractured ankle, fractured wrist and six fractured ribs, alongside bruising to his back, neck and chest. A perforated eardrum, swelling and bleeding inside the ear, and reddening and injury to the buttocks were also noted.

Radiologist Professor Amaka Offiah previously told the jury there was “no underlying condition” that would make the child more vulnerable to fractures and said there had been “no explanation proffered” for how the injuries could have occurred.

“These injuries must have been inflicted,” she said.

Judge Paul Thomas KC told the jury that the child’s injuries have since “healed without complication.”

Paediatrician: injuries consistent with “penetrative blunt force trauma”

Today, consultant paediatrician Dr Louise Newbury, who specialises in cases of suspected child sexual abuse, gave detailed evidence.

She told the court that two sets of injuries were present: one likely caused between 12–17 January, and a second sometime between 23 January and the child’s hospital admission.

Her opinion was that the most severe injuries were “most likely caused by penetrative blunt force trauma” to the baby’s anus. She described redness extending from the anus up to the lower back, swelling, and a deep laceration which left “no muscle function at all” at the site of the cut.

The baby also had a testicle injury which Dr Newbury said was caused by either “blunt force trauma” or twisting, occurring sometime between 12–18 January. Bruising had left the scrotum a “dusky purple”.

She told the court the child was in “extreme distress” in hospital and required morphine twice – something she said she had rarely had to administer to a baby of that age in 25 years. Video of the child recorded the day before showed a “very different baby”, making it “very unlikely” the most serious injury occurred before that recording.

Defendant’s police interview read to the jury

This afternoon the jury heard the defendant’s police interview, read aloud by prosecutor Joshua Scouller and DC Jamie Hughes.

Asked directly whether he was responsible for the injuries, Phillips replied: “I’m not, no.”

He told officers he normally saw the baby’s mother around five times a week but preferred to leave her home around 1:00am or 2:00am because he “preferred the comfort” of his own house. He said he was only ever alone with the baby briefly, usually when the mother went to the bathroom.

Phillips described the baby as having been “crying more” that week because of an ear problem and said he had noticed nappy rash and blood in the child’s nappy, but no other injuries.

When questioned about the anal injury, he said he did not accept he had caused it:
“I don’t see how I could have caused the tear from wiping his [bottom]”

Officers asked him whether he had ever accidentally hurt, dropped or assaulted the child.
Phillips replied: “I have never accidentally or deliberately hurt [the baby]… I have never assaulted a child before.”

He also denied causing a head injury after officers asked about a message in which the baby’s mother had asked if he had “bumped” the child’s head. Phillips said he had only struck his own leg on a table while carrying the child and was unaware of any head injury.

The jury has been told that when paramedics were called on 24 January 2021, the baby was distressed, had blood in his nappy and a high temperature. Hospital staff quickly raised concerns of a “non-accidental injury”.

Expert witnesses: who they are

The jury has heard from two senior medical specialists in the fields relevant to the baby’s injuries.

Professor Amaka Offiah is Professor of Paediatric Musculoskeletal Imaging at the University of Sheffield and an Honorary Consultant Radiologist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. She is widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading authorities on assessing skeletal injuries in infants and is a co-author of the national radiology guidelines used in cases of suspected child abuse. Her expertise includes distinguishing accidental fractures from those caused deliberately or through trauma.

Dr Louise Newbury is a Consultant Community Paediatrician and former Clinical Director of GRACE – the specialist child sexual abuse assessment service for south-east Wales. She is one of the clinicians in the UK accredited to the highest level for examinations in suspected child sexual abuse. Her work focuses on evaluating genital and anal injuries in babies and very young children and providing expert evidence to courts.

Both witnesses were asked by Dyfed-Powys Police to review the medical findings in this case and gave their professional assessments to the jury over the past two days.

The trial, prosecuted by Caroline Rees KC, with Tom Crowther KC representing Phillips and John Hipkin KC acting for the mother, continues before Judge Paul Thomas KC.

Proceedings will resume at 10:30am on Friday.

Crime

Man accused of Milford Haven burglary and GBH remanded to Crown Court

Published

7 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Court Reporter

A MILFORD HAVEN man has appeared in court charged with burglary and inflicting grievous bodily harm, following an incident at a flat in the town earlier this week.

Charged after alleged attack inside Victoria Road flat

Stephen Collier, aged thirty-eight, of Vaynor Road, Milford Haven, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court today (Friday, Dec 5). Collier is accused of entering a property known as Nos Da Flat, 2 Victoria Road, on December 3 and, while inside, inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man named John Hilton.

The court was told the alleged burglary and assault was carried out jointly with another man, Denis Chmelevski.

The charge is brought under section 9(1)(b) of the Theft Act 1968, which covers burglary where violence is inflicted on a person inside the property.

No plea entered

Collier, represented by defence solicitor Chris White, did not enter a plea during the hearing. Prosecutor Simone Walsh applied for the defendant to be remanded in custody, citing the serious nature of the offence, the risk of further offending, and concerns that he could interfere with witnesses.

Magistrates Mr I Howells, Mr V Brickley and Mrs H Meade agreed, refusing bail and ordering that Collier be kept in custody before trial.

Case sent to Swansea Crown Court

The case was sent to Swansea Crown Court under Section 51 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Collier will next appear on January 5, 2026 at 9:00am for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing.

A custody time limit has been set for June 5, 2026.

Chmelevski is expected to face proceedings separately.

Crime

Prosecution delivers powerful closing speech in Christopher Phillips trial

Published

11 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Jury expected to retire shortly in Swansea Crown Court baby abuse case

THE TRIAL of Christopher Phillips, accused of inflicting catastrophic injuries on a 10-week-old baby in Haverfordwest, moved into its final stages today (Dec 5) as the last evidence was heard and the prosecution delivered a forceful closing speech at Swansea Crown Court.

***Christopher Phillips: Told the court earlier this week that he was “proud” of his appearance.***

Phillips, 34, of Kiln Park in Burton, is charged with causing serious physical and sexual harm to Baby C in January 2021. The infant was taken by ambulance to Glangwili Hospital in the early hours of January 24 after suffering life-threatening internal injuries.

The baby’s mother faces separate charges of allowing serious physical harm and child cruelty for allegedly failing to protect her child.

Final evidence presented

The court resumed at 11:09am, when the prosecution submitted its final exhibit: a detailed timeline reconstructed from Phillips’ mobile phone data, charting his visits to the mother’s flat in Haverfordwest.

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC highlighted the distances between Phillips’ home, the mother’s address and Glangwili Hospital, telling the jury that the timings were central to understanding the sequence of events that night.

This concluded the evidential phase of the trial.

Judge issues legal directions

Late this morning (Friday, Dec 5) Judge Paul Thomas KC delivered his directions to the jury, outlining the legal tests required for convictions against both Phillips and the child’s mother. He reminded jurors to consider each charge separately and to apply the law only to the evidence they had heard.

Prosecution closing speech

In her closing address at early this afternoon, Rees KC told the jury that 10-week-old Baby C had been a “happy little baby” who showed “no signs of distress” in a video recorded by his father on January 23, 2021.

She said that within hours, by the early morning of January 24, the infant was in hospital with what she described as a “gaping tear in his anus”.

Rees KC argued that the evidence of who caused the injuries “points in one way – towards Christopher Phillips”.

Turning to the baby’s mother, she said the prosecution’s case was that she was “not without blame”, telling the jury that the mother had “failed in her duty to keep her baby safe”.

“She at the very least ought to have realised that her baby was at serious risk from the man she brought into her home,” Rees KC said. “She didn’t take any steps to keep that baby safe. She prioritised Christopher Phillips over her own child.”

Jury expected to retire

No defence closing speech was delivered today, that will be on Monday.

No further evidence is scheduled.

The jury is expected to retire early next week to begin its deliberations.

The case continues at Swansea Crown Court.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

24 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.