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| Paris Mayo: Murder-accused mum tells jurors she loved newborn | Paris Mayo: Murder-accused mum tells jurors she loved newborn |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| Paris Mayo denies murdering her newborn son | Paris Mayo denies murdering her newborn son |
| A teenager accused of murdering her baby hours after giving birth has told a court she did not mean to hurt him. | A teenager accused of murdering her baby hours after giving birth has told a court she did not mean to hurt him. |
| Paris Mayo, now 19, was 15 when she gave birth in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, jurors at Worcestershire Crown Court heard. | Paris Mayo, now 19, was 15 when she gave birth in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, jurors at Worcestershire Crown Court heard. |
| Ms Mayo told the court she did not acknowledge her pregnancy until the day she went into labour on 23 March, 2019. | Ms Mayo told the court she did not acknowledge her pregnancy until the day she went into labour on 23 March, 2019. |
| She said her son Stanley was silent and not moving when she gave birth alone in the living room of the family home. | She said her son Stanley was silent and not moving when she gave birth alone in the living room of the family home. |
| Warning - this article contains distressing content. | Warning - this article contains distressing content. |
| Ms Mayo, who denies murder, said she was confused and scared after her labour and admitted putting the baby into a bin bag because "I knew my mum would find him. I didn't know how else to tell someone." | Ms Mayo, who denies murder, said she was confused and scared after her labour and admitted putting the baby into a bin bag because "I knew my mum would find him. I didn't know how else to tell someone." |
| Giving evidence for the first time in her trial, she said: "I love him. I always think about what he would have been now, what he could have been." | Giving evidence for the first time in her trial, she said: "I love him. I always think about what he would have been now, what he could have been." |
| It is alleged Ms Mayo inflicted complex skull fractures to the baby and stuffed cotton wool into his mouth. | It is alleged Ms Mayo inflicted complex skull fractures to the baby and stuffed cotton wool into his mouth. |
| She was asked by Bernard Richmond, defending, whether she knew she was pregnant at any time before Stanley was born. | She was asked by Bernard Richmond, defending, whether she knew she was pregnant at any time before Stanley was born. |
| "No, I was always scared of the thought I might be. I had never taken a test and it telling me I was pregnant [sic]," she said. | "No, I was always scared of the thought I might be. I had never taken a test and it telling me I was pregnant [sic]," she said. |
| "I was more suspicious I could have been, rather than actually knowing if I was or not." | "I was more suspicious I could have been, rather than actually knowing if I was or not." |
| Worcester Crown Court heard the baby was conceived in the summer of 2018 when Ms Mayo was 14, with the teenager losing her virginity at 13. | Worcester Crown Court heard the baby was conceived in the summer of 2018 when Ms Mayo was 14, with the teenager losing her virginity at 13. |
| By the autumn she was suffering from abdominal pain and sickness which she said would "go back and come away". | By the autumn she was suffering from abdominal pain and sickness which she said would "go back and come away". |
| "I thought it was a stomach bug that went away, or I had eaten something that disagreed with me," said Ms Mayo, who now lives in Ruardean, Gloucestershire. | "I thought it was a stomach bug that went away, or I had eaten something that disagreed with me," said Ms Mayo, who now lives in Ruardean, Gloucestershire. |
| 'Told I was worthless' | 'Told I was worthless' |
| Jurors were told she had been taken to the GP by her mother in October 2018 and during the examination was asked if she was having sex. | Jurors were told she had been taken to the GP by her mother in October 2018 and during the examination was asked if she was having sex. |
| "I told her no because at that time I wasn't," she said. | "I told her no because at that time I wasn't," she said. |
| "I think I must have misunderstood how she was asking it. I felt like I could have told her if I felt comfortable enough, but I didn't know how to go about it." | "I think I must have misunderstood how she was asking it. I felt like I could have told her if I felt comfortable enough, but I didn't know how to go about it." |
| Explaining why she started having sex at a young age, she said: "I just thought it was a way to get people to like me because I was quite insecure about the way I looked and the way I was made to feel about myself at home because my family situation was quite bad. | Explaining why she started having sex at a young age, she said: "I just thought it was a way to get people to like me because I was quite insecure about the way I looked and the way I was made to feel about myself at home because my family situation was quite bad. |
| "I was always being patronised and belittled and told I was worthless. I just wanted to feel a bit more validated and the way I felt to get that was to have sex with people." | "I was always being patronised and belittled and told I was worthless. I just wanted to feel a bit more validated and the way I felt to get that was to have sex with people." |
| She explained her father had been in poor health, including heart problems and diabetes, and died in April 2019. | |
| Ms Mayo said she helped care for him, but described him a "bully" who "thrived on us being scared of him". | |
| "He put a lot of pressure on us to be the kids he wanted us to be, rather than what we wanted to be," she said. | "He put a lot of pressure on us to be the kids he wanted us to be, rather than what we wanted to be," she said. |
| Asked if she missed her father, the defendant fought back tears and said: "I loved my dad." | Asked if she missed her father, the defendant fought back tears and said: "I loved my dad." |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
| Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk | Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Ruardean | Ruardean |
| Ross on Wye | Ross on Wye |