GUILTY UK - Hollie Ashurst, 14 months, murdered, Wigan, 3 Jan 2019 *father arrested*

[HayLouise]

Day 8:

3.55pm

Mr Gozem asks about a message from Leanne referring to him shouting during the night. Ashurst says there was a smiling face with the message and it was humour. She wasn't concerned. Mr Gozem questions if he really had a good night's sleep and Ashurst says he did. Says he does sometimes struggle to get to sleep with his anxiety but is a "deep sleeper" once he's asleep.

Ashurst leased a car from Craig Forshaw. It cost £450 a month, which his uncle Christopher paid. Mr Gozem asks why he paid this. Ashurst says he was a "very close family member" and he looked after his mother when he was alive. He said he got the car so he could visit his mum and look after Hollie.

There was also a Mercedes A-class on the drive belonging to Leanne, which was also leased from Craig. He doesn't remember how much that cost but thinks it was around £300. Leanne had "quite a few" lessons and two driving tests which she had failed. He says she wanted independence. Mr Gozem questions why she had that car when she hadn't passed her driving test. Ashurst says she was insured to drive it and could practice. His uncle didn't pay for this car.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused father takes to the witness stand

 

[HayLouise]

Day 8:

4pm

Mr Gozem is asking about Craig Forshaw's business. He says he won a car in a raffle on Facebook and it would cost £500 to insure it. He thinks that's why Mr Forshaw wanted to borrow money. He didn't want to lend him the £350 though. "I'm not the kind of person who likes to say no. In hindsight it probably would have been easier to say no but I didn't do that." He admits he "misled" Mr Forshaw. He says Leanne know about this.

Ashurst says they didn't have money problems. While he had told Leanne to stop lending money, he says the issue was about lending money and not because they had money issues.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused father takes to the witness stand

 

[HayLouise]

Day 8:

4.10pm Ashurst is asked why he "begrudged" lending the money. He says it's the money not being paid back on time that he begrudges.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused father takes to the witness stand

 

[HayLouise]

Day 8:

4.15pm

Mr Gozen now asks about text messages between Ashurst and Leanne on February 18, when they're discussing money. Leanne has lent £60 to someone and Ashurst is telling her to get it back, as it hasn't been repaid. Leanne suggests having their own bank accounts. He tells her to stop giving money to people. She says if she wants to give her money to people, she will. Ashurst tells the jury all their money was in one account and they shared it.

One message from Leanne on this day says Ashurst spent £150 on drugs. He doesn't remember how long it took him to use up the drugs, but says it wouldn't have all been in one night.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused father takes to the witness stand

 

[HayLouise]

Day 8:

4.20pm

In the messages they continue to discuss money. Leanne says he always goes on about money. He says he was cautious when it came to money because he wasn't working and had rent to pay and a baby to care for.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused father takes to the witness stand

 

[HayLouise]

Day 8:

4.25pm

The jury is now being sent home for the day. Cross-examination will continue tomorrow at 10am.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused father takes to the witness stand

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

10.20am

Mr Justice Dove has now arrived in court. Ashurst is taken to the witness box and the jury is brought in. Mr Gozem takes to his feet to question Ashurst.

Mr Gozem asks about a text message Ashurst sent to his partner Leanne Thompson when he said his "head was going". Ashurst said this doesn't mean there will be violence, it's that his anxiety builds up and he doesn't like arguing.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

10.25am

Now he's asking about Ashurst's mental health. He's had issues since 2011 and said he had treatment whenever he felt his mental health was bothering him.

Ashurst said spending time with Hollie helped him. "It was certainly beneficial to me because I was always occupied when I was with Hollie," he says.

He denies he was feeling "seriously low" in December 2018 when asked by Mr Gozem. He had a telephone triage in November 2018. Mr Gozem reads medical records from this, in which Ashurst said he was "very depressed and anxious", struggling to get out of bed and had thoughts to end his life. He said he had began attempts to overdose but was stopped by his partner.

Ashurst says he was "over-exaggerating" things at this time because he was claiming benefit PIP. He had bills to pay and a family to care for. Mr Gozem says he wanted money to pay for cocaine too. Ashurst says the cocaine he bought was for Leanne as well as him.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

10.30am

Ashurst says there was a lot of time he was caring for Hollie alone. While Leanne was still on maternity leave, he says she was doing people's nails at home and in a salon in Standish.

Mr Gozem asks about a witness who said Hollie had older injuries. Ashurst says she was often falling over. "There were plenty of occasions where she was hysterical when she fell and banged her head and things like that, but once we calmed her down, it passed and that was left there. There was certainly nothing where I could say one of us dropped her or did anything that could cause it, no."

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

10.40am

Mr Gozem is referring to some documents for the jury in which Ashurst made a claim for the PIP benefit in February 2018. Ashurst says he was being reassessed for it in November that year, when he claimed he was "over-exaggerating" his symptoms.

A medical record states Ashurst was concerned about being able to care for Hollie alone when Leanne returned to work. Mr Gozem asks if there was a reason he would have to say this for his PIP claim. Ashurst says it doesn't explain the context in which it was said and he had people around who could help with Hollie if needed. Mr Gozem asks if he had any incentive to lie. Ashurst says: "No, I don't think there was any incentive to lie."

Ashurst confirms a record is correct that he said his medication had been increased by his GP and he wasn't seeing any benefits to his anxiety. He confirms he said he was having trouble sleeping and would start taking his medication in the morning. Also true was that he said he suffered from palpitations. He said he had panic attacks too and she knew about that. He confirms he said he was drinking alcohol to manage anxiety, but tells the jury he wasn't drinking "excessively".

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

10.50am

Mr Gozem continues to go through this medical record. He asks about Ashurst's drinking. Ashurst says he drank three or four cans a day to help his anxiety, but would drink more, perhaps vodka or whiskey, when going out at weekends.

A medical record says Ashurst reported drinking vodka in bed from 3pm daily until he passed out but didn't get drunk. Ashurst says this "doesn't make sense". He says "maybe it wasn't true". It's not clear when this was.

Mr Gozem asks if he made this up for the PIP claim. Ashurst says he was "possibly exaggerating" but couldn't remember the interview and wasn't drinking vodka in bed at 3pm each day.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

10.55am

Ashurst says he can't remember why Leanne slept in a different room the night before Hollie was taken to hospital. They had a small argument, he says, and he remembers she had to get up early for work the next day.

Ashurst spoke to friend Craig Forshaw by phone on the morning of February 28. He says he was just asking what he was doing that day and was not asking about the money he had requested to borrow previously. Ashurst said he had earlier "made up lies" about why he couldn't give him money.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

11.05am

Ashurst sent a text message to Leanne on February 28 to say he loved her. She replied to say she loved him too and wanted to stop arguing. They sent messages during the morning and in one she said there was "no need to flip out at me like that all the time". Ashurst says he took that to mean arguing.

In the messages they talk about sleeping in separate beds.

Ashurst says he still can't remember what they argued about. Prosecutor asks if the day before was when a three-year-old boy had been at the house, which it was. Ashurst denies being annoyed about toys being on the floor. He is asked if he was annoyed when people came to the house so Leanne could do their nails and their children played with Hollie's toys and he says:" Not at all."

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

11.10am

Ashurst says Hollie "very rarely misbehaved". The only times might be when she wasn't feeding or sleeping. "She was a very, very good child," he said. Ashurst says people commented on how well behaved she was. "She used to keep herself occupied if you weren't playing with her. She was easily amused. She was a very, very good child."

He says he had two baby gates but they didn't fit and a friend was going to make one that did fit.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

11.15am

Mr Gozem asks Ashurst to go through what happened to Hollie on February 28. He says he left her on a bed while he popped to the bathroom for something and she fell off. Mr Gozem asks why he left her there when she could fall off. "That's true, yes, for a split second. I didn't think she would move. She would never normally do that."

She had "blood-stained saliva" on her mouth.

He continued: "She was at the stage where she probably was ready to cry, yes, but I didn't make a fuss of her. She looked absolutely fine, she was absolutely fine."

He didn't look where the blood was coming from and says he "presumed she had either bit her tongue or something like that". He says Hollie was smiling and played on the floor.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

11.20am

Ashurst says they often left Hollie play on the landing. "I totally agree it was a bad decision and we should have had a baby gate on," he said.

He went outside to move a bin and put it at the back of the house. He went back in the house and found Hollie on the floor "shaking from head to toe". "It was like she was having a fit. Every bone in her body was shaking from head to toe. She was very flushed in the face."

Ashurst says he was having a panic attack and thought the best thing to do was drive Hollie to hospital. He says he didn't even think of calling an ambulance.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

11.25am

Ashurst picked Hollie up but says he fell on the stairs and Hollie slipped from his grip. "When she landed at the bottom of the stairs I can't remember how I picked her up but she was certainly floppy and she made a noise from her mouth like air escaping - that's the only way I can describe it - like the leftover balloon letting air out."

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

11.30am

Ashurst took Hollie to the car. He says: "She was floppy. I don't think she could hold her head up." He is asked if she was responding and he says he can't remember.

He put Hollie in the car seat. "En route, past the Charnley Arms, which is maybe halfway to the medical centre, when I realised that she had deteriorated and how she was looking wasn't good, I decided to put my foot down and race up to Standish. I came to a set of lights just before Standish high street lights."

He continued: "I stop, heavily broke and heard Hollie come flying out of the seat."

Ashurst says he's convinced the seat was fastened, but he was in a rush and did it as quickly as he could.

He said he put Hollie on his knee. Mr Gozem asks why he didn't put her back in the car seat. Ashurst says he was in a rush and didn't want to stop. The car was moving. He says there wasn't time to tend to her when the lights were on red.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

11.40am

"Getting out of the car or anything like that certainly didn't cross my mind," Ashurst says.

He pulled up outside Standish Medical Centre and ran in with Hollie. He says staff didn't know if a doctor was there, doors to consultation rooms were locked and it was lunchtime.

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence

 

[HayLouise]

Day 9:

Proceedings resume

12.05pm

Mr Gozem says Ashurst didn't answer any questions in police interviews and gave different accounts to various people of what had happened to Hollie. His defence statement was served in mid-October, by which time he had seen the medical evidence. Ashurst says he didn't really understand it because it was in "doctors' terms"

Mr Gozem says: "Since then you have come up with this catalogue of accidents that all befell her on the same day."

Ashurst told GP Sarah Hall that Hollie had fallen down a few stairs and cried at the bottom. Elizabeth Ashcroft previously told the court Ashurst said Hollie fell down a few stairs, two or three, and was okay but did cry afterwards. Paramedic Adam Noble said Ashurst said Hollie fell down two steps, banged her head, cried straight away and was hysterical.

Ashurst says he can't remember all the conversations he had with people and he was "flustered".

A paramedic said she couldn't get a clear answer from Ashurst when she asked him to be more descriptive. Ashurst says: "My emotions were high, I was panicking, my anxiety was through the roof. My total interest was what was going on around that bed where Hollie was being seen to."

Baby Hollie Ashurst murder trial: LIVE updates as accused dad continues to give evidence