A BABY boy murdered by his parents suffered 71 rib fractures and was assaulted at least three times before his death, a court heard today.

Little Sean Clark was just 39 days old when he was discovered dead in his cot at dad James Clark's home in Bristol.

The youngster had been injured on three separate occasions before hisdeath on January 14, 2018, Bristol Crown Court heard.

He suffered rib fractures and head injuries caused by either Clark or mum Helen Jeremy, 27, it was said.

Jurors heard that three days before the tragedy, Jeremy took her son to Clark's home to stay.

But hours after they arrived, Jeremy searched on Google about babies coughing up blood in the "first sign that something was wrong".

The court was told she also text her mum saying Sean was crying a lot when he was picked up and during feeding.

'SHAKEN VIGOROUSLY'

The next day, emergency crews were called after the baby's body was discovered.

Medics found injuries on his little body consistent with being "shaken vigorously" before his death and on at least one other occasion, it was said.

Jane Osborne QC, prosecuting, told the jury: "Ultimately it is the Crown's case that something catastrophic occurred very close to the time that Sean stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating.

"The evidence also supports the suggestion there had been a second event earlier in time that was non-fatal and occurred over 48 hours before his death.

"We know from the rib fractures there were at least three separate occasions when harm was caused to this small child.

"Those injuries could only have been inflicted, the prosecution say, by one or both of these two defendants."

BABY 'MURDER'

Prosecutors allege the "bulk of the evidence" points to Sean's dad being responsible.

The court was told Clark admitted being the "main carer" over the three days before the baby's death.

He also said he dealt with the baby hours before his death and didn't check on his son in the morning when he woke up, jurors heard.

Ms Osbourne said: "It is highly significant that during the time Sean was at James Clark's house and in the care for the majority of the time of James Clark, he suffered two non-accidental events involving a very similar if not identical mechanism.

"The fatal event on the Sunday and the sub-lethal event likely to have taken place on the Thursday evening coinciding with the Google search about a baby coughing up blood.

"A logical and reasonable inference can be drawn that James Clark was the perpetrator of the fatal event and because of the almost identical combination of rib injuries and head injuries, he is also the perpetrator of the earlier event on the Thursday evening."

The prosecutor also said there was also a "narrow window of opportunity" for Jeremy to have been responsible, if Clark was not present or asleep.

Clark and Jeremy both deny charges of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The trial continues.

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