A pair from north Antrim have been found guilty of an assault that resulted in a young boy being left brain damaged, blind and critically ill. 35-year-old Chris Fulton, standing in the Newry Crown Court dock, defiantly shook his head as the jury’s unanimous decision was announced. Fulton leaned over to discreetly murmur an unheard comment to his wife, Amanda Fulton.
Over the course of two days and just under eight hours of discussion, the jury pronounced Fulton guilty on all counts, including severe bodily harm with intent and two separate charges of deliberate child abuse by neglect.
His wife was absolved of the charges of severe bodily harm with intention and one count of child cruelty. However, the 35-year-old woman was unanimously found culpable of causing the child substantial physical discomfort or permitting it to happen, alongside another charge of child cruelty.
Despite the damning verdicts, the separated couple displayed minimal emotion, whereas some jury members were visibly shaken. Expressing his gratitude for their conscientious service, Judge Peter Irvine KC acknowledged the trying nature of the trial for all involved due to the disturbing evidence presented.
The judge praised the jury, calling their handling of the case exemplary. Noting their emotional distress, Judge Irvine urged them to seek counselling if needed, providing a contact number.
During the five-week-long trial, the jury, made up of eight men and four women, learned that the severely ill child was not responsive on the morning of November 7th, 2019. Despite this, neither parent reached out to a medical professional for three hours. Seen by the GP at 4pm that day, it was immediately clear that the child was gravely ill.
Initially, the young boy was rushed to the Causeway Hospital where scanning revealed a serious head injury. The child was later transported to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Medical practitioners at this facility uncovered the full extent of his critical injuries, including a shattered skull leading to brain and retinal bleeding, 27 broken ribs, fractures in both thighs and shins, a broken wrist, and a damaged liver.
The Crown had always argued that without a plausible, non-incriminating explanation for the injuries, which experts likened to those a child could sustain in a high-speed vehicle collision, one or both of the accused individuals must have inflicted the harm. Testimonies from a plethora of medical specialists highlighted the severity of the young boy’s injuries, describing them as “grave and substantial”. They affirmed that without medical treatment, the child would certainly have perished.
The array of paediatric consultants who testified unanimously agreed that the injuries had been caused by blunt force trauma such as a strike or collision with a firm surface like a wall or floor. The sundered pair each accused the other of causing harm to their child.
The judge pushed back the case to allow the compilation of various reports, setting the date to deliver his verdict on the 13th of December.