Lejaune Wood has admitted in court that he "flung" his baby son to the floor of their west London home in a fit of anger, allegedly causing injuries from which the boy died 14 years later. Wood, 43, from Wuppertal, Germany, denies murder.
Trial at the Old Bailey
At his trial at the Old Bailey, Wood told jurors he was "losing his mind" from a lack of sleep due to "working a lot," but said he never intended to hurt the infant. He said he was "frustrated with everything going on" in his life and that he was "furious" and wanted "attention" from his wife Paquita.
Wood said in court: "I was losing my mind and I guess I was frustrated with everything going on. I was angry also with myself. At that time I was hardly sleeping. I was working a lot. I was literally trying my best to put food on the table - and at that I was failing. That morning I just wanted my wife to be there for me. I was literally breaking down inside of me."
Background and strain
The defendant, a German national, met his wife at the hotel where they both worked. When Paquita fell pregnant, Wood said he was "anxious and happy," even though it was unplanned. LJ was born eight weeks prematurely, with Wood admitting it put him under "quite a lot of strain" and he felt "scared" of losing Paquita after she was admitted to hospital with a postnatal infection.
Wood told jurors: "About that time, our life was really stressed. It was very strained. It was kind of like living one day to the next. Financially we were living day-to-day. I got a promotion but that was still not enough to live on. I had to work every hour of the day. I was tired and I was stressed."
The incident
On the morning of December 12, Wood said he woke and called to his wife in the kitchen and summoned her to bed as he felt "lonely," the court heard. Wood said: "She said she had to care for LJ and give him his milk. I explained she was spending too much time with LJ and not enough time with me. I remember me getting agitated and angry. I said 'I work every single hour, the least you can do is spend some time with me'. I threw it in my wife's face. I got really angry and I got really agitated and then I grabbed LJ out of her hands while she was turning away so I couldn't take him. I was so furious at that point. I grabbed LJ by his arms while she was turning away, pulling towards me. I was holding very tight. The way I yanked him out of her hands, he was not supported in any kind of way."
He said the baby's head "flopped" as his wife tried to step in, but Wood pushed her face hard, causing her to fall to the floor. He said: "At this stage, I just had enough and I flung LJ to the floor. It was quite a bit of force. At that point I was all over the place."
Aftermath and injuries
Wood said that when he saw LJ crying he "came to my senses," picked him up and ran into the bathroom to put water on him to "settle him." Paquita suggested they take the infant to the hospital to get checked out, but Wood admits it was his idea, saying he wanted to wait a couple of days to "see how he is."
At first, he said he did not notice any injuries, but his wife later pointed out that LJ's arm was "floppy" and he had a lump on his head. By December 14, Wood said he and his wife were "very worried" and decided she would take him to Hillingdon hospital as he had to go to work. LJ had a broken arm and ribs, a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
Wood accepted he had caused LJ's injuries and that what he had done was "unlawful." But he told jurors he had no intention during the incident of causing serious harm to LJ. Asked what he had been thinking when he grabbed LJ from Paquita, Wood said: "I wanted to take him from her so maybe she would pay attention to me rather than LJ."
LJ died at the age of 14 on December 6, 2021, with a pathologist's report saying he was suffering from complications from an injury he sustained as a baby. Hours after his death, Wood was arrested for murder. The trial continues.
