Boy, 5, was found with over 60 bruises to body and nine times fatal dose of anti-depressants, murder trial hears
21.06.2023 - 20:05
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A five-year-old boy was found with over sixty injuries to his body and nine times the fatal dose of antidepressants in adults, a pathologist has told a murder trial.
Dylan Scanlon was allegedly murdered by his mum, Claire Scanlon, 38, at their home in Limeside, Oldham on New Year's Eve 2021. Ms Scanlon denies charges of murder, manslaughter and child cruelty and is on trial at Minshull Street Crown Court.
On day seven of the trial, consultant pathologist Dr Charles Wilson told jurors that he had gone to the house on Elm Road on the night of the alleged killing to conduct a preliminary examination of Dylan.
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He said that there was bruising of ‘various ages’ all over his face, neck, chin, both ears and he had a black eye.
Following a post mortem report, samples of blood were sent to a toxicologist who found that Dylan had 9,951 micrograms of the antidepressant drug Mirtazapine in his blood.
“From a basic medical background, I can tell you that antidepressants can cause central nervous system depression. That means slowing the heart rate, leading to an abnormal heart rhythm and that can cause fatal seizures,” Dr Wilson explained.
The court heard that the fatal level in adults is 1000 micrograms of the drug.
“Based on that, this child has nine times the level that can kill an adult. Children are smaller than adults, which is why you give a child Calpol rather than big tablets of paracetamol,” he added. He said he couldn’t say how or when the drug was administered.
Moving to the injuries to Dylan’s body, Dr Wilson took jurors through a graphic visual of where the injuries were to his body, which included to his arms, legs, back, chest and abdomen.