Doctor found traces of cocaine in bloodstream of Northampton toddler after death, jury hears

A court has heard how traces of cocaine were found in the bloodstream of a Northampton toddler who died in the care of his father.
Forensic officers at the scene in Arthur Street last December.Forensic officers at the scene in Arthur Street last December.
Forensic officers at the scene in Arthur Street last December.

Raphael Kennedy, 31, is on trial for the alleged murder of his two-year-old son, Dylan, who died as a result of blunt force trauma in December last year.

But Northampton Crown Court heard today (October 10) how the tot had ingested traces of cocaine in the hours leading up to his death.

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Forensic toxicologist Dr Peter Sidebotham, who tested samples of Dylan's blood for drugs, told the court Dylan must have ingested cocaine "four to 12 hours" prior to his death.

He said: "I found less than five nanograms of cocaine per millilitre of blood [...] but the level of cocaine would have been higher at the time of death."

The jury also heard how hundreds of pounds worth of crack, cannabis and heroin were seized from Kennedy's house by police, as well as plastic wraps, microscales and a suspected "burner" mobile phone for dealing drugs.

The court also viewed two video clips of Dylan downloaded from Kennedy's phone by police.

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In one, Dylan appears to be sleeping on his feet in a bedroom - before Kennedy, who is filming, shouts "wake up" at the toddler.

In another, Dylan is shown crying and walking around 10 paces behind Kennedy, who is filming and tells Dylan to "walk mate" and "keep up".

Police were unable to determine when the videos were taken.

Kennedy is accused of carrying out a brutal assault on the two-year-old while he was in his care before waiting two hours to call an ambulance on December 15 last year. He denies the charge.

The trial continues.

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