John Tighe denies murdering infant son in Mayo

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

John Tighe was on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of murdering his six-month-old son, Joshua Sussbier Tighe, at his home in Mayo on 1 June 2013. He pleaded not guilty. The proceedings were reported on 15 March 2018.

The jury heard statements Tighe made to gardaí after Joshua’s death. Detective Ken Waldron said Tighe gave voluntary interviews under caution at his home on 12 June 2013 and at Claremorris Garda station on 11 June 2014.

Tighe told gardaí he had used baby wipes and may have used tissue while changing Joshua. After leaving briefly and returning, he noticed the baby was blue and appeared to be choking. He said he called emergency services and, following their instructions, tried to remove the obstruction with his fingers.

Paediatric consultant Dr Peter Keenan said a wad of tissue could not have reached the area behind Joshua’s tongue accidentally, given its size and the size of the opening at that age. He said it would have required force and dexterity unavailable to a child of that age. He agreed with defence counsel Mícheál P O’Higgins SC that blind finger sweeps can be fatal because they push an obstruction further down.

The trial was continuing before Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury.