GUILTY UK - Jordan Monaghan murdered daughter (Ruby), son (Logan) & gf (Evie Adams), Blackburn, 2013 & 2019

[Tortoise]

The court heard Mr Monaghan told Miss Adams' friends and relatives she had been suicidal and had sent him a text message saying "I have taken some drugs" earlier that day, to which he did not reply.

But Mr Smith suggested Mr Monaghan had sent the text himself using her phone.

Mr Monaghan later faked a suicide note from Miss Adams which was discovered apparently by chance falling out of a picture frame as he removed the couple's favourite photo of themselves to place in her coffin, the court heard.

One was purportedly a letter to her child from "mummy", while the second, dated two days before her death, was typed and was an apparent suicide note.

Mr Smith said a number of pieces of evidence suggested the suicide note had in fact been written by the defendant.

Mr Monaghan's fingerprints were found on the letter but not those of Miss Adams, the court heard.

The letter was examined by an expert forensic linguist who found the writing was "not consistent" with it being written by Miss Adams but was "consistent, highly distinctive" with the writing of Mr Monaghan, suggesting he was the real author.


Jordan Monaghan: Triple murder accused faked suicide note, court hears

 

[Tortoise]

On October 24 2019, Ms Adams was found dead at a house in Hazel Close, Blackburn, where she and Monaghan had been staying with family members.

Emergency services rushed to the house after a family member found her "all blue" when she went to check on her at around 7.45pm.

Monaghan, who had just returned from a trip to Wigan, appeared "overcome with emotion" - but a paramedic who attended the scene said he thought Monaghan was "putting it on."

[...]

The prosecution told the jury that he also 'controlled' her access to medical help, after she complained she felt "sick, dizzy and had blurred vision" and thought she was suffering with gastric flu.

Records of a number of calls made by Monaghan to the NHS 111 service were found, but when doctors tried to call back to speak to Evie in person, their calls went 'unanswered' and she did not attend any appointments which were made for her.

[...]

On November 6, Ms Adams' friend Kimberly Edwards visited Monaghan to discuss funeral arrangements. While at the house, a typed note fell from behind a picture frame.

The letter, which appeared to be a suicide note, bore Ms Adams' signature - but witnesses said she was not computer literate and could not type a document or use a printer.

[...]

"Monaghan chose to travel to Wigan on the evening of October 24, taking with him Ms Adams' phone. The purpose of that journey remains unexplained.


Dad accused of 'drugging' girlfriend and 'faking' her suicide note

 

[Tortoise]

Grief-stricken ‘triple killer’ was ‘putting it on’, murder trial hears

At 8.15pm on October 24, 2019, an ambulance was called to Hazel Close in Blackburn, where Monaghan was living with Miss Adams.

The mother-of-one was found lying on her back on the bedroom floor, her heart stopped.


Despite emergency resuscitation attempts by paramedics she was declared dead at 8.50pm.

Senior paramedic John Tetlow was present when police were called, and when officers told the defendant his partner was dead Monaghan was “overcome with grief”.

Andrew Smith QC, prosecuting, told the jury: “Mr Tetlow saw Mr Monaghan in an emotional state but considered Mr Monaghan was putting it on in respect of his upset when the police got there.”

 

[Lancslass]

How dreadful. That poor girl.

 

[Kitkat28]

In between all this he was a free member of society, free to roam the streets, free to go on to attempt to murder his third child and then to murder Evie Adams

Almost unbelievable isn’t it. No doubt in the inevitable Serious Case Review that will follow the trial, “lessons will be learnt” yet again

 

[Tortoise]

Preston Crown Court 5 T20217036
Jordan Monaghan
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 10:35
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 11:15 - 10:53

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Preston-Crown-Court.php

 

[Tortoise]

Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 11:24
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 5 Sworn - 11:27

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Preston-Crown-Court.php

 

[Legally Bland]

At the start of the second week of the trial at Preston Crown Court, the jury heard from Laura Gray, 28, the mother of Ruby and Logan, and Monaghan’s partner at the time.

Ms Gray said hours before Ruby died she and the defendant had put Logan to bed and watched the TV, her daughter had fed normally and was “absolutely fine”.

After seeing in the new year, she went to bed just after midnight with Ruby sleeping in her Moses basket on the living room floor.


For the first time, Monaghan offered to stay up to give Ruby her 2am feed. But she was awoken shortly before 2am by her partner shouting from downstairs.

Ms Gray told the jury: “He shouted, ‘Laura, come down now. I don’t think Ruby is breathing’.”

Jordan Monaghan: Baby was ‘absolutely fine hours before being found dead'

 

[Legally Bland]

Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:00 - 12:33
Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 14:01
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 5 Continues - 14:15
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 15:16

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Preston-Crown-Court.php

 

[Legally Bland]

Ms Gray asked a nurse to call Monaghan, before he arrived at the hospital, but not to tell him their daughter had died.

However, when he got there and Ms Gray told him their daughter was dead, he replied, “I know, I know” saying a nurse had told him on the phone.

But the jury heard none of the hospital staff made such a call to tell him.

Baby was 'absolutely fine' hours before being found dead

 

[Tortoise]

another report from yesterday -


She said: 'I'm not sure of the time but I heard Jordan shouting me from the bottom of the stairs, saying 'Laura, come down. I don't think Ruby is breathing'.

'She looked grey and her lips were blue. She felt clammy.

'I took the blanket off her and opened her babygrow and couldn't see her breathing so I picked her up and told Jordan to ring for an ambulance.'

The jury heard how Monaghan performed CPR on the tot until the paramedics arrived.

[...]

The court heard Miss Gray found her son dead in his buggy after Monaghan had taken him swimming. [...]

Monaghan, who had gambling problems and debts, had rowed with his partner Miss Gray who had said she was leaving him, the court heard.

The defendant had taken out a credit card in Miss Gray's name and had racked up around £2,000 in online gambling debts.

The defendant had texted Miss Gray the day before Logan's death saying: 'I love you…I don't want to lose you', and the child's death brought them closer together, the jury was told.

Baby was 'absolutely fine' hours before being found dead, court told | Daily Mail Online

 

[Tortoise]

Preston Crown Court 5 T20217036
Jordan Monaghan
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 5 Continues - 10:34
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 11:34
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 12:05 - 11:35

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Preston-Crown-Court.php

 

[Tortoise]

I think linking the babies' deaths to bringing them closer together is a red herring.

There has been no mention of them arguing or separating around the time of the first death (Ruby's). The reporting indicates they were having a nice new years eve. He wouldn't have known before the first murder how LG would react to him after Ruby's death.

I can see how Logan's murder would have diverted LG's attention from her discovering that Jordan had taken a credit card and racked up debts in her name, and perhaps averted a split.

We don't know much yet about the circumstances of his attempted murder of baby X.

Murdering Evie wasn't going to bring them closer together either. If he wrote the suicide letter days before Evie died, and obstructed doctor's calls to Evie, it doesn't look to me as if he expected her to survive and get closer together.

It might have been a half credible theory to try to explain why he attempted to murder baby X, at the time, but I don't think it continues to apply since Evie's murder and trying to understand his motives.

 

[jiminy]

Wow! This guy is absolutely a psychopath.

 

[Tortoise]

Preston Crown Court 5 T20217036
Jordan Monaghan
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - No Event - 10:32
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 11:40 - 11:20
Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 11:44
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 6 Sworn - 11:51
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness evidence concluded - 12:25
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:00 - 12:46
Trial (Part Heard) - No Event - 14:15
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:00 - 14:34

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Preston-Crown-Court.php

 

[Lancslass]

What’s going on?? Usually we get daily updates / transcripts from a trial in the news and on Facebook.
Nothing with this one

 

[Tortoise]

I expect there's going to be periods with no reporting if it's evidence about the twice attempted murder of the child who can't be named. That would probably include evidence from medics who attended, and other witnesses, perhaps even witnesses like the child's current GP to prove that the child is healthy and the collapses only occurred in JM's sole care. It's key to the case, to prove what happened with the other two babies, because the defence is really going to milk Ruby's post mortem and professionals who didn't spot foul play in Logan's death, and police not conducting a thorough enough investigation after child X's two collapses, so that he wasn't charged for five years and went on to murder again.

 

[Mrs Marple]

What a shocking case.

 

[Tortoise]

“Did you identify any underlying genetic disorder which could have accounted for Logan’s collapse and, or, death?

Professor Newbury-Ecob replied: “No.”

[...]

The jury has heard of reported instances of “cot death” in both parents’ families but these were “unverified” instances and two or more generations back. [...]


Ben Myers QC, defending, asked the witness, as genetic testing was at the forefront of scientific discovery, just because the current knowledge we have does not identify a genetic cause for a death, does not mean one might be found in the future as the science advances.


“That is correct,” the witness replied.

Mr Myers asked if it was possible a “silent” genetic condition could be carried across generations but only materialise two or three generations down the line.

He added: “For example, in this case, the fact that there might be conditions historically and then not repeated for a generation or two, doesn’t rule out the possibility of a condition emerging at the point of the children we are looking at?”

Professor Newbury-Ecob replied: “Yes.”

Genetic condition not to blame for sudden child deaths, murder trial hears

 

[Lancslass]

“Did you identify any underlying genetic disorder which could have accounted for Logan’s collapse and, or, death?

Professor Newbury-Ecob replied: “No.”

[...]

The jury has heard of reported instances of “cot death” in both parents’ families but these were “unverified” instances and two or more generations back. [...]


Ben Myers QC, defending, asked the witness, as genetic testing was at the forefront of scientific discovery, just because the current knowledge we have does not identify a genetic cause for a death, does not mean one might be found in the future as the science advances.


“That is correct,” the witness replied.

Mr Myers asked if it was possible a “silent” genetic condition could be carried across generations but only materialise two or three generations down the line.

He added: “For example, in this case, the fact that there might be conditions historically and then not repeated for a generation or two, doesn’t rule out the possibility of a condition emerging at the point of the children we are looking at?”

Professor Newbury-Ecob replied: “Yes.”

Genetic condition not to blame for sudden child deaths, murder trial hears

“Did you identify any underlying genetic disorder which could have accounted for Logan’s collapse and, or, death?

Professor Newbury-Ecob replied: “No.”

[...]

The jury has heard of reported instances of “cot death” in both parents’ families but these were “unverified” instances and two or more generations back. [...]


Ben Myers QC, defending, asked the witness, as genetic testing was at the forefront of scientific discovery, just because the current knowledge we have does not identify a genetic cause for a death, does not mean one might be found in the future as the science advances.


“That is correct,” the witness replied.

Mr Myers asked if it was possible a “silent” genetic condition could be carried across generations but only materialise two or three generations down the line.

He added: “For example, in this case, the fact that there might be conditions historically and then not repeated for a generation or two, doesn’t rule out the possibility of a condition emerging at the point of the children we are looking at?”

Professor Newbury-Ecob replied: “Yes.”

Genetic condition not to blame for sudden child deaths, murder trial hears

Tortoise, where are you finding these updates?