A paediatrician has told the Central Criminal Court that a six-month-old infant could not have formed or swallowed the wad of tissue found in his throat. Dr Hilary Stokes testified during the trial of John Tighe, aged 40, of Lavallyroe, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, who denies murdering his son Joshua Sussbier Tighe on 1 June 2013. The prosecution alleges the tissue caused the child's death. Dr Stokes stated that infants at that developmental stage lack the manual dexterity and chewing ability required to compress tissue into such a wad, and would be unable to swallow an object of that size voluntarily. She further indicated the wad could not have become lodged as described through attempts to remove it. Earlier, a sergeant recalled that the child's mother asked the accused upon arriving at the home: "What have you done?" The trial continues before Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury at the Central Criminal Court.
Source links
Original report plus public source leads and related archive reports used for review context.
Public source leads
- Mayo woman in court for failing to send her daughter to school - westernpeople.ie westernpeople.ie · Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT
- Judge tells Mayo mother she is responsible for sending her child to school - The Mayo News The Mayo News · Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT
Related court reports
-
Tissue from two different boxes found in infant's throat, father's murder trial hears
Courts News Ireland · 2018-03-08
John Tighe, aged 40, of Lavallyroe, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his six-month-old son Joshua Sussbier Tighe at his home on 1 June...
-
Father accused of murdering infant son exhorted doctor to "do something", jury hears
Courts News Ireland · 2018-03-07
A father accused of murdering his infant son urged a doctor to intervene at the scene, the Central Criminal Court heard on the second day of trial. John Tighe, aged 40,...
-
Choking most common cause of accidental death in babies, murder trial hears
Courts News Ireland · 2018-03-14
A paediatrician has testified at the Central Criminal Court that choking represents the most frequent cause of accidental death in infants under one year old. Dr Hilary...
-
Father put wad of tissue down infant's throat, prosecution allege at murder trial
Courts News Ireland · 2018-02-27
At the Central Criminal Court, a murder trial commenced involving John Tighe, aged 40, from Lavallyroe, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo. Mr Tighe has pleaded not guilty to the...
-
Father went on to have second child with mother of infant he is accused of murdering
Courts News Ireland · 2018-03-16
A man charged with the murder of his six-month-old son at his home in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo in 2013 later fathered a second child with the infant's mother, the...