In a horrific court case a father has been accused of causing his daughter’s death by changing her nappy whilst drunk.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that 14-month-old Skylar Cowan Gallagher was found lying face down in the rug in her parent’s home.
Her body was discovered by her mother, Angela Cowan, after she returned home.
She tragically could not be resuscitated and it was ruled that she had died of asphyxiation.
Her father Stephen Gallagher, 35, had reportedly been drinking heavily that evening. Police later found over 11 empty cans of lager in the house.
According to Chronicle Live the judge said: “You had started drinking that evening at about 7pm.
"You continued to do so and got yourself horribly drunk, so drunk that at some point on that night you actually relieved yourself in the sitting room, under the fish tank.
“You were so drunk you have no memory of what occurred and what led to Skylar’s death.
They continued: "There came a time, at around midnight, when you removed Skylar from the safety of her bouncy chair and attempted to change her nappy, which was dirty. You were so drunk you were unable to do so.
“So it was, she was found just after 5am, on her mother’s return. She was lying face downwards on the rug by the sofa with no nappy.
“Whether you placed her there, whether she fell there, whether she rolled off the sofa to get there, is a matter of speculation.
“In a case such as this the harm is extreme, it involved the death of a defenceless infant.”
Gallagher’s lawyer added: “He cannot explain to the court or the police or anybody exactly what happened that night.”
“He can never turn back the clock and for him, as for the rest of the extended family, this remains an utter tragedy.”
The trial continues.