Parents of an eight-week-old baby girl who died at her home in Sussex after sustaining brain injuries and rib cage fractures have been convicted over her tragic death.
The baby’s father Michael Roe, 33, was found guilty of Holly Roe’s murder on Wednesday, while her mother Tiffany Tate, 22, was found guilty of allowing her death.
Paramedics found baby Holly not breathing and with no heart activity when they arrived at the home in Crowborough in the early hours of September 10, 2018.
Despite attempts to revive the tiny newborn, she was pronounced dead just a couple of hours later.
Their trial heard that Holly had suffered brain injuries at least three times leading up to her death, and also sustained 12 fractures to her rib cage.
The post-mortem examination showed that the cause of death was a head injury, and the opinion of the pathologists involved in the case was that this had resulted from some kind of shaking, the CPS said.
Although Roe denied ever shaking Holly, he was the last to see her alive and evidence from his partner showed that he had no patience with his daughter, on one occasion attempting to feed her through her nose with a syringe.
Roe, of Alderbrook Close, Crowborough and Tate are to be sentenced on Friday at Hove Crown Court.
Libby Clark, from the CPS, said: “This is an absolutely tragic case involving a tiny, premature baby who had barely any time out of hospital before her death.
“Evidence from the medical experts in this case showed that Holly’s injuries were consistent with the previous incidents and demonstrated a pattern of behaviour by Michael Roe.
“He was alone with his daughter at feeding time, had little patience and a tendency to lose his temper.
“Despite being aware of what had happened previously to her daughter and knowing that Michael Roe was responsible, Tiffany Tate failed to alert the authorities.
“Instead she chose to expose her daughter to the continued risk that Roe posed.”