Christopher Phillips explains “rattle” incident during questioning

CHRISTOPHER PHILLIPS, the 28-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and causing serious physical harm to a two-month-old baby in January 2021, continued giving evidence before the jury this morning (Tuesday). Phillips repeatedly denied causing any injury to the infant — referred to in court as Baby C — and insisted he had never harmed him physically or sexually.

Phillips is on trial alongside the baby’s mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who is charged with causing or allowing serious physical harm. Both defendants deny the allegations.

Relationship and childcare involvement

Phillips told the court he met the baby’s mother on Tinder when the child was about two weeks old. He said his involvement in caring for the infant increased after Christmas 2020 but was limited to occasional help with feeding, bathing and nappy changing. He said the mother was “95 per cent of the time” present when he undertook any care tasks.

He said he first saw bright red blood in the baby’s nappy around 12 January 2021, which he attributed to constipation and a possible haemorrhoid, saying he recognised the condition because he suffered from them himself.

On the night of 23–24 January, Phillips said he changed the baby’s nappy three times. At around 22:17, he took a photograph of blood in the nappy and sent it to the mother, who was in the living room, explaining he thought it might be useful if she needed to show a doctor. He told the jury the baby’s anus “did not look injured” during any of the changes.

Sex toys and pornography

The jury were shown photographs of a number of sexual items recovered from a drawer beside the bed. Phillips confirmed that several of the items — including anal beads, butt plugs, an inflatable anal device, lubricant and a bottle of amyl nitrate (“poppers”) — belonged to him.

He accepted that he and the mother had engaged in anal play using toys, though he said there had never been penile-anal intercourse. He acknowledged viewing anal pornography and said he had deleted some search history and intimate photographs from his phone out of “embarrassment”.

The “rattle” incident

Phillips also admitted an incident involving one of the baby’s rattles. He said that after “mucking around” with the mother on the sofa, he picked up the rattle from the floor, mistaking its shape for a sex toy:

“I picked it up and began to press it against my anus, but never actually inserted it.”

He described the moment as “a moment of jocularity”.

After the prosecution concluded its questioning, John Hipkin KC, began a forceful cross-examination.

Hipkin KC put it to Phillips that the significant anal injury later identified in hospital could only have been caused by one of the two adults present in the flat that night.

He highlighted that Phillips had changed the baby’s nappy three times without noticing any injury and questioned him about his detailed knowledge of anal lubrication, dilation and the use of fingers before larger objects.

Hipkin KC suggested Phillips had used Sudocrem as a lubricant to insert a finger into the baby on or around 15 January, and again on the night of 23–24 January. Phillips denied this repeatedly: “Absolutely not.”

Phillips said he left the flat shortly before 03:00am on 24 January with the baby “settled and quiet”. He also denied deleting any material involving the baby from his phone.

Observations about the mother

Asked about the co-defendant’s care of the child, Phillips described her as “a loving mother”, though he recalled two occasions he found unusual: one where she placed the baby down “hard and fast” into the cot while tired, and another where she sat staring at a wall for around 20 seconds while holding him.

Clear denials

Phillips ended his evidence by telling the jury: “I absolutely did not harm Baby C physically or sexually.”

The trial continues this afternoon (Tuesday, Nov 2) before His Honour Judge Paul Thomas KC.