A GRANDFATHER accused of murdering his granddaughter lied to his daughter in a year-long deceit in which he told her he was seriously ill, a jury heard today.

Mark Jones, 45, is on trial at Newport Crown Court for the murder of Amelia Rose Jones, who was 41 days old when she died on November 19, 2012.

Jones, of no fixed address, denies the charge.

Defending, Roger Thomas QC asked him what had happened on Saturday, November 17, 2012 when he was looking after the baby at his daughter Sarah’s home in Waun Hywel, Pontnewydd.
Jones said: “I tripped over and fell on Amelia.”

Mr Thomas asked: “Did you believe she had been injured by that?”

Jones said: “At the time, no.”

Later, he said she fell on the floor while he was in charge of her.

Jones told the jury: “I went into the kitchen, had Amelia in my arms, went to put the kettle on and [Amelia] has ended up on the floor.”

He had said he felt responsible for the baby’s death and that he was “devastated” by his arrest.

Later, Paul Lewis QC, prosecuting, said Jones had carried on an “extraordinary deceit”, pretending to his daughter Sarah that he was ill with problems including suffering blackouts, from diabetes, cancer and a brain tumour.

Mr Lewis said Jones also phoned his daughter 50 to 60 times, withholding his number, pretending to be a doctor whom he called Dr Hughes - when he would tell her of Jones’ supposed medical problems.

But on being questioned whether he was telling the truth, he said: “I don’t have a clue. It might be all of it, might be none of it.”

Mr Lewis also said the accused had lied to a former partner by pretending he had testicular cancer in 2002.

That time he impersonated an Indian doctor and admitted he was looking for sympathy and for her to stay with him.

Jones admitted lying to police in an interview he gave two days after his granddaughter died.

He had told officers that his daughter was “truthful” but said that was in fact a lie and that he now thinks Ms Jones is dishonest.

Mr Lewis asked Jones: “You were lying to the police, were you?”

Jones said: “I must have [been].”

Earlier in the trial he had said he disliked Amelia’s father Ian Skellon.

When asked in court about why he said he would not hold his dislike of the baby’s father against her, Jones said: “What’s wrong with that? I don’t see anything wrong.”

The jury could take that remark “as they want,” he said.

Proceeding.