A MAN charged with the murder of a baby told gardai he threw her against a ceiling and shook her so hard she banged her head on a wall just days before she died, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Det Garda James Hanley said Mr Peter Carden told him: "I want to get help for my problems. There must be something wrong with me."
He was giving evidence on the opening day of the trial of Mr Carden (19), of Killala Road, Ballina, Co Mayo, who has denied the murder of 18 month old Lisa Marie Sweeney in Co Mayo on January 31st, 1995.
When arraigned yesterday, Mr Carden pleaded: "Not guilty of murder. Guilty of manslaughter." Mr Kenneth Mills SC, prosecuting, said the plea was not acceptable to the State.
Opening the case, Mr Mills said that Mr Carden had met Ms Mary Moyles Sweeney, a separated woman who had two children, Lisa Marie and a three year old boy, by her marriage in December 1994 and moved in with her in mid-January 1995.
He said that on January 29th, 1995, a doctor had received an urgent call to go to the house where the accused and his girlfriend were living. Baby Lisa was unconscious and was taken to Castlebar Hospital. It was later established that an injury which led to blood causing pressure on her skull had occurred some days earlier.
The child was transferred to Beaumont Hospital where she died on January 31st, 1995, counsel said. The State Pathologist found she died from a subdural haemhorrage due to a skull fracture.
Mr Mills said the accused admitted certain aggressive acts towards Lisa and said he was guilty of wrongful acts but had no intention to kill or cause serious injury.
Dt Garda James Hanley said had interviewed the accused on April 26th, 1995. He said the accused had initially said he knew nothing about injuries to Lisa's body but later agreed to make a statement.
Mr Carden had said Lisa's mother knew nothing about what he had done to the child and was out of the house when the incidents occurred.
The witness read the accused man's statement to the court in which Mr Carden said everything went well at first when he moved in with his girlfriend and her children, But, he said, in the days before she died, Lisa began to "get on my nerves".
He said he found the responsibility of looking after two children too much and said Lisa had begun calling him Daddy and this "did something to me".
He said that on the night of January 24th/25th he had heard Lisa crying and went upstairs and hit her across the face with his open hand. He also grabbed her by the face with his hand and told her to shut up. He said he left the room.
He said that on January 26th his girlfriend was out with her other child and he was minding Lisa. He spoke of throwing her in the air and catching her on the way down. He said she hit the ceiling with her entire body the third time and began to cry, but he continued to do that two or three more times.
The accused said he started hugging Lisa then and said he was sorry. He spoke about her going over to a wall and sniffling and said he started shaking her.
He said he shook her so much she banged her head off the wall and fell down and was crying. Then he picked her up and hugged her.
The accused said in the statement: "I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me and why I was doing it to her."
In the statement, Mr Carden said his girlfriend went out on the night of January 28th, 1995. Lisa was in her cot asleep and he went upstairs and opened her door and she woke up and began to cry. He said he slapped her on the bottom and bit her on the lower back through her nightclothes.
He said he could not think of all he did because he had "blanked it out".
Mr Carden had also said he remembered kicking Lisa's legs out from under her and had said: "I don't know why I did this."
The trial continues today.