23-year old Father admits killing his 16-day-old daughter

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January 12, 2016 5:35 PM

A father has admitted to killing murdering his 16-day-old daughter after beating her to death in a bloodied and ‘sustained physical assault’ at their home.

16-day-old Florence Liberty

A father has admitted to killing murdering his 16-day-old daughter after beating her to death in a bloodied and ‘sustained physical assault’ at their home. Metro UK reports.

Matthew Higham, 23, from Manchester, pleaded guilty to killing Florence Liberty Mae Higham at Preston Crown Court on the first day of his trial.

The court was told that Higham had been looking after the baby whilst Florence’s mother Sharon Collins visited a sick relative in hospital.

Prosecutor Mr Gordon Cole QC said that the little girl had received ‘extensive injuries’ at the hands of her father, consistent with being ‘repeatedly punched’ or ‘repeatedly slammed against a hard surface’.

Mr Cole added that Higham made an emergency call at 8.06pm saying that his daughter was ‘bleeding out of her nose, mouth and ears’ while he was feeding her. He maintained that he has no account of what happened or how he caused the injuries which included multiple skull and rib fractures, facial injuries and bruising, resulting in acute brain damage.

The court heard that Higham had made an attempt to clean the house before emergency services arrived.

The little girl was taken to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport but was pronounced dead at 8.38pm on July 29 2015.

During the case, Higham remained with his head in his hands as Miss Collins sobbed.

Following his arrest later that night, he said: ‘I’m not responsible for the death of my lovely little girl Florence. She was the light of my eyes. I have not shook her or dropped her.’

Higham defense lawyer Mr Benjamin Nolan insisted that: ‘He does not remember the actual events of the killing.’

Metro UK reported that he will be sentenced later today.

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