Couple on trial accused of neglecting three-month-old son who died

Court: The couple are accused of neglecting their son.

A couple have gone on trial accused of neglecting their three-month-old son who died.

Ashley McDonald and Marc Morrison’s flat was covered in rubbish and dirty nappies, a court heard on Monday.

GP Karen Wedlock and Health visitor Iona Morris were shown photographs of the flat in East Renfrewshire's Thornliebank area where baby Anton lived with his parents.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard the photographs showed a carry cot, mattress and covers with stains on them, bin bags in the kitchen, potato peelings on the worktop and a messy bedroom. The pictures also showed a number of used nappies in the hallway and bottles with traces of milk.

McDonald, 20 and Morrison, 21, are on trial accused of wilfully neglecting their son Anton Morrison between his birthday on October 24, 2010, and February 3, 2011, the date he died.

The witnesses were shown the carry cot, mattress and cover in the court. Dr Wedlock - the GP who referred Anton to hospital for a hernia - said the carry cot looked as though the nappies had been allowed to overflow and that had caused staining and said it was mouldy.

Describing the mattress and cover she said: "It smells really quite strong at the moment, it's obviously stained with urine, there's stains at both ends which makes me think the baby has been at both ends also."

Procurator fiscal depute Michelle Tollan asked: "Does it look clean?" Dr Wedlock answered: "No." The court was told Anton had a hernia operation and as a result had a wound, Dr Wedlock said there would be "increased risk of infection" for a baby sleeping on bedding like that "particularly if the baby had any sort of open wound".

After looking at the photographs of the kitchen she was asked what concerns she would have for a baby living in that flat. She replied: "If the place we can see is being used to make up bottles the work surface looks very dirty and I would have concerns about the kitchen being used to prepare milk for the baby." Dr Wedlock told defence counsel for McDonald, Margaret Breslin that items did not look clean.

Ms Morris - a health visitor who saw Anton on two occasions, once in his home - told the court she would be "very concerned" if a baby was sleeping on the bedding shown to her. Ms Tollan put to the witness that the trial may hear evidence that there were nine bags of rubbish taken from the house. She asked: "Would you have any concerns about a baby living in a house with so much household waste?" Ms Morris said: "Yes" adding it would be general hygiene concerns.

She also told the court that had she seen conditions like that when she visited she would have spoken to the parents and exercised her duty to report it to social services.

McDonald and Morrison are accused of neglected their son in a manner likely to cause him unnecessary suffering or injury to health by allowing their home at Kennishead Avenue, Thornliebank, to become dirty and covered with soiled nappies and domestic waste. The pair are charged with failing to observe appropriate hygiene and sterilisation procedures in caring of Anton and causing him to lie and sleep in a dirty and unhygienic bed.

The trial before Sheriff Stuart Reid continues.

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