A MAN accused of murdering a six-month-old boy at a unit in New Lambton in 2019 was alone with the boy during the two hours when he suffered numerous serious injuries, including a fractured skull, a jury has been told. But lawyers for Jie William Smith say the boy's mother had repeatedly punched and shook the boy before leaving him with Mr Smith. They say Mr Smith was holding the boy when he likely suffered a seizure from the earlier assault and slipped out of Mr Smith's arms, hitting his head on the ground.
Mr Smith, now 31, on Monday pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter over the death of the baby and faced the first day of an estimated four-week murder trial in Newcastle Supreme Court.
