Dad ‘killed daughter, three, after finding out mum had affair’

Injuries ... Lia suffered a severed bowel

Cavendish Press

By HARRY HAWKINS

A FATHER killed his three-year-old daughter after becoming enraged his girlfriend was having an affair, a court heard.

Richard Green, 23, is accused of attacking his daughter Lia after "building a simmering resentment" towards his partner Natalie Critchley after finding out she had been seeing another man.

Lia was covered in bruises and found to have a severed bowel when her lifeless body was taken to hospital, Preston Crown Court was told.

A jury was told she was punched or kicked to the stomach with "substantial force" and was the type of injury normally seen in children involved in car accidents.

Green, 23, denies murder. He and Critchley, 21, also deny causing or allowing the death of the child.

Prosecutor Peter Wright said the injury that caused Lia's death "was not some freak injury or terrible accident".

Accused ... Richard Green and Natalie Critchley

Instead, Mr Wright said: "Blunt force trauma to her abdomen that had been delivered with such force that it had caused massive and ultimately fatal internal injuries.

“Part of her bowel had been completely severed by the force of the blow.

“Her condition had then progressively deteriorated and eventually she died from complications arising from this traumatic injury to her internal organs.

“In addition, Lia was found to be extensively bruised, many were less than 48 hours old, but some were older.

“She had a significant number of bruises. They were to her head, neck, chest, abdomen, both upper limbs, both lower limbs, buttocks and back.

“The pattern, distribution and differing ages of the injuries were consistent with what’s described as ’non-accidental injury’.

“This, we say, was evidence of physical abuse and repeatedly so. This was physical abuse from which she ought to have been protected by her parents, rather than exposed.”

Tragic ... Lia was taken to hospital with severe injuries

Mr Wright said the abuse “eventually” led to her death, at the hands of Richard Green.

The court heard that social services had visited the family home in Preston three weeks before Lia's death after reports Green had been smoking drugs in front of children.

The home was visited and while conditions were “less than perfect” there was food in the house, Lia had clean clothes on and there was nothing that caused concern about her safety, the court heard.

The jury heard that days later Green discovered nursery assistant Critchley had been having an affair with the parent of a child where she worked.

After the affair emerged Green phoned the nursery to say his partner would no longer be working there.

“In the period leading up to the death of Lia, there was considerable friction between the parents,” Mr Wright added.

“The relationship between them continued but it was far from harmonious.

“The evidence points to a building and simmering resentment towards his partner Natalie Critchley.”