THE man accused of the murder of his 41-day-old granddaughter Amelia Rose Jones in November 2012 told police something had happened to him that he could not explain, on the night she was taken into hospital.

Re-arrested last September on suspicion of the murder of Amelia, Mark Jones said he had been looking after the baby on the evening of Saturday November 2012 and at around 9.55pm had been in the kitchen holding her when he suffered a blackout and came around on the floor.

Amelia had fallen to the floor too and he told officers he shook her gently a few times and realised she had been "badly affected" by the fall.

After phoning her mother Sarah Jones, who was at the cinema, he phoned 999 and attempted to resuscitate her.

Newport Crown Court was told that Jones' defence statement submitted last autumn stated he had previously experienced episodes of unsteadiness and he had sought a medical diagnosis.

But Paul Lewis QC, prosecuting, said medical records agreed by prosecution and defence showed Jones had never sought help for blackouts or similar episodes.

Jones told the court he had had blackouts and someone could explain it better than him, but pressed by Mr Lewis on who that person was, he answered "no comment."

Jones had also answered "no comment" when Mr Lewis said he had lied either to a judge at an earlier family court hearing when he told them nothing had happened to Amelia that Saturday night, November 17, or to the jury in the current murder trial.

Jones, aged 45, of no fixed abode but previously of Cwmbran, denies the murder charge.

Earlier in the trial Dr Stephanie Coakley, who examined Jones at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr in Ystrad Mynach, hours after his original arrest on suspicion of murder in November 2012, told the court he told her Amelia slipped from his hands and hit her head on the floor whilst he shook her feeding bottle.

But today Jones told Mr Lewis under cross examination that he does not remember speaking to the doctor.

He agreed with Mr Lewis that while doctors were trying to save Amelia's life in the hours and days immediately after Saturday November 17, he had information about what had happened that might have helped them.

Jones admitted that he should have said something then, but denied that not doing so was an act of self-preservation.

Proceeding