A childminder who is on trial accused of causing serious harm to a 10-month-old baby told gardaí she had never harmed the baby and had cared for her like one of her own.
Sandra Higgins, 34, of The Beeches, Drumgola Wood, Cavan town, has pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the baby at her home on 28 March 2012.
On the second day of the trial the court was told that after her arrest in April 2012, Ms Higgins told Sgt Linda Harkin she had been caring for the baby since she was six weeks old and had cared for her like one of her own.
Sgt Harkin said Ms Higgins repeatedly denied assaulting the baby on 28 March 2012.
When questioned about the range of injuries to the baby's face, head and body she said she did not cause any of those injuries.
Ms Higgins said there was no violent shaking of the baby as suggested by medical experts. "I never caused any injury to her of any nature," she told gardaí.
She also denied coming under pressure and making "over-the-top" written records for a cover-up. She said one of the bruises on the baby's face was from a fall five days previously.
Doctors said the baby had life-threatening non-accidental injuries, including extensive bruising to her face, head and body, a detached retina and brain bleed.
They said the injuries were consistent with the baby having been violently shaken and were "highly likely" to have occurred during the time she was in Ms Higgins' care.
Ms Higgins again denied causing the injuries.
She said the child had been ill on and off for six weeks before that and had been on antibiotics the previous week.
She told gardaí that while she had made a recovery she was still quieter than usual.
She said on 28 March she had woken the baby from her afternoon nap and fed her a bottle before placing her on the floor.
She said the baby then appeared to have a seizure and had vomited.
She rushed her to hospital with her other children in the car and had phoned ahead to the hospital and had phoned the baby's mother.
She agreed the baby had received a number of bumps and bruises from falls in her home three times that month.
Ms Higgins said the baby had also fallen over in her own home while with her parents and recalled a bruise on the baby's head the previous month.
She agreed she had not filled out incident forms at the time of other falls in her home and had not followed her own procedures on this.
She said she had had informed the baby's mother about the falls at the time and had made notes on a sheet of paper.
It was suggested to her she was showing no emotion while being interviewed and she said she had shed tears to her husband and family at the time.
She said she was shocked on hearing the medical report details.
It was put to Ms Higgins again that she had assaulted the baby in her home and she said the baby had no injuries as a result of her care that day.
The court was told Ms Higgins has qualifications in child care and nursery, had a first aid qualification and was a trained Montessori teacher.
She had worked in a crèche and a number of other places and had also worked as a substitute teacher in primary schools.
The jury also began hearing evidence from Dr Alan Finan, a consultant paediatrician who treated the baby at Cavan General Hospital.
He said the baby had extensive bruising all over her body and a number on her head.
He said there were large bruises on both sides of her forehead that were brown in colour and associated with significant underlying swelling.
There was also a bruise on each cheek bone that were pink or purple in colour.
There was also a bruise to her ear, over the pubic bone and on her back and buttock.
The jury was shown photographs of the injuries, which counsel for the prosecution described as "not pleasant but necessary".
Earlier, the baby's uncle, who saw her before she had been dropped to the childminder, said there was nothing amiss on the morning of 28 March 2012 when he was with his sister when she dropped off the baby to Ms Higgins's home.
After the incident, while the baby was still in hospital, he said Ms Higgins called to his sister's home and was very insistent on asking questions about what was wrong with the child and about the doctors' examination.
He said he did not have the information and would not have told her if he had.
He said later he had gone to collect the baby's belongings from Ms Higgins and she told him she could not find the diary she kept to record the baby's activities.
She later returned it to the baby's home.
During cross examination he agreed he had given Ms Higgins a cool reception when she called to inquire about the baby.
He also accepted he had emptied the contents of the baby's changing bag on the floor of her house while looking for the diary but he did not accept this was aggressive.
Staff from Cavan Childcare Committee said they met Ms Higgins at about 10.30am on 28 March with her own child and the baby she cared for.
They said they did not notice anything wrong with the baby.
Social worker Kay McLoughlin said she received notification about the injury to the baby amid concerns that they might not be accidental.
She went to the hospital on 29 March and interviewed the baby's parents.
She said they co-operated and the matter was reported to gardaí.
She said the parents were very anxious that the gardaí become involved.
She met the accused on 30 March and interviewed her and advised her of the concerns.
Ms Higgins said the baby had seemed fine when she was dropped off to her that morning.
Ms McLoughlin said she visited her again on 4 April and made inquiries about her training and first aid training.
Yesterday the trial heard that doctors believed the child received non-accidental life-threatening injuries consistent with violent shaking. Ms Higgins denies the charge.
