BELFAST FATHER CLEARED OF SHAKING BABY TO DEATH WHO WAS FOUND WITH 24 FRACTURED RIBS AND BRAIN DAMAGE
A man accused of murdering his baby daughter has been found not guilty by a jury at Craigavon Crown Court.Paul Owens, 29, formerly of Acacia Avenue in Twinbrook, denied killing his 14-week-old daughter Jasmine McGowan at their home on the outskirts of Belfast in August 1999.
The baby had been shaken and her head had been hit off a hard surface.
The prosecution told the jury they believed Mr Owens killed the child and then tried to blame the baby's mother.
The defence said there was no doubt the baby had a miserable life, but there was no direct evidence linking the accused to the murder.
The jurors, 10 men and two women, retired on Tuesday.
They returned on Wednesday and deliberated for two hours before reaching a not guilty verdict.
Tears Mr Owens stood up and staggered slightly when the verdict was read out.
He took off his glasses to wipe tears from his eyes.
Afterwards, Mr Owens said he was relieved to have his reputation vindicated by the jury's decision.
In a statement released through a solicitor, he said he was grateful he now could begin to grieve properly for his daughter and that she would always be in his thoughts.
During the trial the court heard Jasmine Owens had died from shaken baby syndrome.
Medical experts said she was injured twice before, with evidence of brain damage and rib fractures.
The baby's mother was not in court to hear the verdict.
The chief executive of the Down Lisburn Health Trust said there was no evidence that the baby's life was in danger.
John Compton said Jasmine was visited at her home in Twinbrook on the week of her death.
"No matter what system you have in place and no matter how often staff visit, regrettably incidents of this nature occur from time to time," he said.
"I'm confident that we didn't miss anything that would have led us to take legal action."
