John Tighe pleads not guilty to baby son's murder

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

John Tighe pleaded not guilty to murdering his six-month-old son, Joshua Sussbier Tighe, at his home on 1 June 2013. His trial was before the Central Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 16 March 2018.

The prosecution alleges that Mr Tighe murdered Joshua by putting a wad of tissue paper in his throat. Mr Tighe has maintained that he was changing the baby’s nappy, went to the toilet and found him choking when he returned.

Mr Tighe told gardaí he had a medical condition that could cause severe pain when he needed to use the toilet. He said he felt the urge to urinate and did not want to wait in case the pain struck.

He said he did not see Joshua put tissue in his mouth but believed that was the only explanation for how it got there. He said his attempts to remove it must have pushed it further down, and denied deliberately putting it in the child’s throat.

Detective Garda Ken Waldron told defence counsel Desmond Dockery SC that Mr Tighe and Joshua’s mother, Natasha Sussbier, had a daughter in October 2015 and were no longer together.

The prosecution had completed its evidence. The trial was due to continue before a jury and Justice Patrick McCarthy.