The jury reportedly advised the infant murder suspect to give his then-partner a sedative to keep the children asleep.
Key Point:
- Jordan Thompson dies with lethal dose of sedative antidepressant in his system
- Cecil Kennedy pleads not guilty to manslaughter charges
- The woman told jurors that Mr. Kennedy had previously spoken about giving children sedatives.
Twenty-one-month-old Jordan Thompson died in March 2005 in a singleton apartment complex.
Cecil Patrick Kennedy, 51, the mother’s ex-girlfriend, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges.
Judge William Fitzsimmons is presiding over the district court trial before a jury at Downing Center District Court in Sydney.
The jury alleges that Kennedy was irritated by the infant’s crying, and that prosecutor Kate Nightingale gave Jordan Thompson more than one of the antidepressant pills prescribed.
Kennedy’s attorney, Linda McSpeden, vehemently denies the allegations.
Kennedy’s former partner, Melinda Simpson, presented evidence today, explaining the on-and-off relationship.
Simpson lived in the unit next door to Kennedy until Jordan died.
She told the court that her relationship overlapped with a time when Mr. Kennedy was also involved with Mr. Jordan Thompson’s mother.
Ms Simpson said in court that she told the court about the sedative antidepressants that Mr Kennedy was prescribed after he was bashed.
“When I told her she wasn’t sleeping, he said I should put her on sleeping pills,” Ms. Simpson told the court.
“I said [to Cecil] My daughter had older and more experienced kids, so what can I do to help her sleep.
“He told me to give him sleeping pills. And I said you can’t give sleeping pills to children. It kills them.”
Ms Simpson said Mr Kennedy told him to limit any risks.
“He said, ‘No, don’t give me the whole pill. Just give me half and crush it,'” she said.
“When I asked him why he was taking sleeping pills, he replied that he was prescribed sleeping pills to claim compensation for his injuries.”
Simpson was also asked about the cleanliness of Kennedy’s apartment before Jordan Thompson died.
The king had previously said a toddler may have found a pill on the floor and swallowed it.
“He was very clean, everything had a proper place, and he was very keen on being clean,” Simpson told jurors when asked how he maintained his room. .
When prosecutors asked whether Mr. Kennedy vacuumed, Mr. Simpson said he did so regularly.
“I used to see him vacuuming, and I could hear him vacuuming from my unit, and it was almost every day.”
The trial continues.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-29/accused-toddler-killer-cecil-kennedy-in-court-hunter-valley/102787884
