Crime

Man denies causing baby’s injuries as police interviews read to jury

Published

2 months ago

November 28, 2025

THE JURY at Swansea Crown Court has heard police interviews with a man accused of physically and sexually assaulting a baby who was taken to Glangwili Hospital in the early hours of January 24, 2021.

Christopher Phillips, aged 34, of Kiln Park, Burton, denies two offences of sexual assault by penetration, one count of assault causing actual bodily harm, and four counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The baby’s mother – who cannot be named to protect the child’s identity – denies child cruelty and allowing the child to suffer serious physical harm.

Interviews read to the court

Prosecutor Joshua Scouller read to the jury the transcript of Phillips’ initial interview with Dyfed-Powys Police.

Officers asked: “Are you responsible for causing these injuries?”

“I’m not, no,” Phillips replied.

He added: “When I’m there, she’s always with me… ninety-five per cent of the time she’s in the room.”

Phillips suggested the baby had been “crying more” because of an ear problem during the week before hospital admission. He said the child also had a “nappy rash” and blood in the nappy, but he did not notice anything else that concerned him.

The defendant was asked about a message the mother had sent him asking whether he had bumped the child’s head. A later CT scan found a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.

Phillips said he had walked into a table while carrying the baby and struck his own leg.

Officers pressed him on why the mother had asked about the baby’s head: “I don’t know if she was spotting anything,” he said, adding the message had been sent days before the hospital visit.

Mother’s police interview

In a separate police interview, the baby’s mother – whose identity is protected – alleged that she had once walked into a room and seen Phillips “bouncing the baby up and down on his penis” after stepping out of the shower.

When asked what he had been wearing, she replied: “He was naked.”

Officers asked: “What did he do when he saw you?”

“I gave him a look and he just pulled the baby up higher,” she said.

She further alleged that Phillips had inserted the baby’s rattle into his anus, describing it as being used like “a butt plug”. Asked what she thought of this, she said: “Disgusted.” She told officers she took the rattle away and put it in the kitchen, adding that she had intended to wash it but did not, and later saw it fall behind the fridge.

“I didn’t want the baby touching it again,” she said.

When questioned about how long she had known Phillips before they began a sexual relationship, she said: “Two or three weeks,” explaining that they had met on Tinder.

Asked why she had used a profile picture of herself and the baby together on the dating app, she said: “People have got to know if you have kids.”

Officers asked whether the relationship had been “highly controlling and sexual”, and she replied: “Yes.”

When asked if Phillips had ever shown any interest in helping to care for the baby, she replied: “No.”

She went on to say she had become concerned after seeing Phillips with Sudocrem on his finger, “as if he had put his finger in a pot of it”.

“It was like a ring of Sudocrem around his finger, all the way down his finger near the first knuckle,” she said.

The court heard that there were no pots of Sudocrem in the house – only tubes.

Officers asked: “When you realised that the defendant may have put his finger into your baby’s bottom, how did you feel?”

“I was disgusted,” she said.

Expert evidence

Consultant paediatrician Dr Louise Newbury, an experienced specialist in child sexual abuse cases, was asked to review the medical findings for Dyfed-Powys Police.

She told the court it was most likely the baby’s anal injuries were caused by “penetrative blunt force trauma”.

Dr Newbury said the baby appeared to have two clusters of injuries: one likely between January 12 and 17, and another between January 23 and 24.

She told the jury the child was “in extreme distress” when examined at hospital, presenting as “a very different baby” to footage filmed on January 23.

Adjournment

Before the jury was discharged for the weekend, the court heard that there would be more interviews being read out on Monday, as well as some admin to do to the jury bundles which would greatly assist the court.

The trial continues.

Crime

Former soldier jailed for stalking police officer over past arrest

Published

18 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Court Reporter

Defendant tracked down officer’s home address and sent threatening messages

A FORMER serviceman has been sent to prison after tracking down and harassing a police officer who had arrested him two years earlier.

Gareth Nicholas, aged 41, from Waunarlwydd in Swansea, targeted the officer by discovering his home address and sending a threatening message via Facebook, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The officer had been part of a police team that executed a Scottish arrest warrant at Nicholas’s home in May 2023. Two years later, in August 2025, the officer received an unexpected friend request on social media, followed shortly afterwards by a message that immediately caused concern.

The message began with the words “I found you” and accused the officer of unlawfully entering Nicholas’s property, assaulting him while he was in his underwear, and “abducting” him. Nicholas also claimed he had identified a pattern of corrupt behaviour within the police and issued a veiled threat, stating: “I will catch you down the Liberty son. Look forward to it,” a reference to Swansea City’s former stadium.

The situation escalated further days later when a handwritten letter was delivered to the officer’s former address. The new occupant contacted the officer to alert him to the letter, which repeated allegations of corruption and suggested the matter could be dropped if the officer assisted in exposing alleged police misconduct.

Nicholas was arrested on September 3 and admitted sending the communications, but denied at the time that his actions amounted to stalking.

In evidence, the officer told the court that while he had faced verbal abuse during his policing career, this incident felt different and deeply personal. He said his family installed CCTV cameras, security lighting and fencing, and put safety plans in place for their children. He added that he feared Nicholas had not let go of his perceived injustice and remained concerned the behaviour could continue.

The court heard Nicholas has a substantial criminal record in Scotland between 2019 and 2024, including convictions for stalking, malicious communications, threatening behaviour, domestic abuse offences and possession of ammunition without a licence.

Sentencing Nicholas, Judge Huw Rees acknowledged the trauma the defendant had experienced during military service, but warned him not to repeat the behaviour.

Nicholas, who appeared unrepresented, pleaded guilty to stalking and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, reduced by 20 per cent for his early guilty plea. Having already served time on remand, his release is expected shortly. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order banning any contact with the officer.

Crime

Drink-driver ran red light and narrowly missed another motorist

Published

20 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A DRINK-driver was seen running a red light, swerving between lanes and narrowly missing another vehicle while being followed by police, a court has heard.

Reuben Kirkman, aged 26, was stopped by officers after being seen driving a Vauxhall Corsa along Iscoed Road, Hendy, on the night of June 21, 2025.

“He was stopped by officers as a result of his standard of driving,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told District Judge Mark Layton, sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

“He had a near miss with another vehicle, he had no lights on, he drove through a red light and he was seen swerving between lanes.”

Subsequent blood tests showed Kirkman had 147 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.

His solicitor, Peter Harper, told the court the offence occurred after Kirkman had spent the day with his football team.

“They ended up in the pub and he consumed some alcohol,” he said. “He planned to leave his vehicle there but failed to find a taxi.

“So he sat in his car for around 30 minutes, drank some water and made the stupid mistake of driving home.”

The court was told Kirkman, of Castle Buildings, Castle Street, Swansea, is a sport science and nutritional science graduate and is currently employed in food supply at Wetherspoons.

After pleading guilty to drink-driving, Kirkman was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £430. He was also ordered to pay a £172 court surcharge and £85 in costs.

Crime

Pembroke Dock woman fined after drunken abuse in town centre shop

Published

20 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A PEMBROKE DOCK woman has been fined after hurling drunken abuse at shoppers when she entered a town centre store in a highly intoxicated state, a court has heard.

Karen Rees, aged 52, entered a store in Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock, just after 10.00am on January 6.

“She was heavily intoxicated, shouting and swearing and pushing cans off the counter,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told District Judge Mark Layton, sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

“But she was also having difficulty getting her words out as a result of the level of her intoxication.”

Rees, of Kavanagh Court, Pembroke Dock, pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly in a public place.