A couple in the UK are on trial at Birmingham Crown Court for the murder of toddler Ayeeshia Jane Smith.
The child died in hospital of cardiac arrest on 1 May 2014 due to a laceration of the heart, which pathologists believe could have been caused by having her chest stamped on.
The court heard that child’s injuries were so severe that she looked like a car crash victim.
Ayeeshia Jane Smith was allegedly heard screaming “stop mummy, stop daddy” just days before her death, according to Mirror.
Ayeehia Jane Smith’s mother Kathryn Smith, 23, and stepfather Matthew Rigby, 22, have both denied the seperate claims that they killed or caused cruelty to her.
The Daily Mail reported that in police interview transcripts read during the trial, Smith said Ayeehia Jane Smith injured herself by falling on the potty
“It was the potty and sometimes she would fall back on it – she was that stupid,” Smith said.
The court heard Ayeeshia Jane Smith had spent time in foster care, after her mother breached her court order in June 2013.
Since returning to her mother’s care in October 2013, the child had been taken to hospital on three seperate occasions with various injuries. A head injury was deemed ‘non-accidental’ in February 2014, but no child abuse investigations were made.