Two parents will stand trial next year after pleading not guilty to causing the death of their one-year-old son. Adam Johnson, 26, and 25-year-old Kylie Smith, both of St Helens, were charged last month with causing or allowing the death of a child, their son Maero Johnson, three years ago.
Merseyside Police previously said a postmortem examination confirmed Maero died in August 2023 of ketotic hypoglycaemia and severe malnutrition.
Charges and pleas
Charge sheets state that between June 5, 2023 and August 24 of the same year, the pair were "aware that there was a significant risk of serious physical harm being caused to" Maero "by the unlawful act of a member of his household". The count also accuses them of "failing to take reasonable steps to protect him from that risk".
Both also face two allegations of cruelty to a person under 16, while Johnson was further charged with possession of cannabis.
Appearing together at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, Thursday, both Johnson and Smith entered not guilty pleas to causing or allowing the death of a child and the two counts of cruelty to a person under 16. Johnson pleaded guilty to the cannabis possession charge.
Trial date set
Owen Edwards KC, prosecuting, told the court that a four-to-six week trial had been agreed for April 19 next year.
Judge Brian Cummings KC, presiding, said: "Adam Johnson, you have pleaded guilty to one of the charges, the drugs charge, but otherwise you have both pleaded not guilty to the indictment. There will be a joint trial on April 19."
"It may seem a long way away, but you may find it comes around sooner than you think. There is a lot of preparation before the trial so please cooperate fully with your legal team."
Court appearance details
Johnson, of Hempstead Close in St Helens, and Smith, of Holly Bank in the Merseyside town, sat side-by-side in the dock. The former occasionally nodded and rubbed his face when addressed by the judge, but otherwise the pair did not react during the 25-minute hearing.
Johnson sported ginger hair and a beard, and wore a white collared shirt, while Smith sported dark hair in a plait and wore a buttoned-up white polo shirt.
John Rowan appeared in court for Johnson, while Steven Swift represented Smith. The defendants were released on unconditional bail to next appear for a pre-trial review hearing on April 5.
According to court sentencing guidelines, the charge of causing or allowing the death of a child can carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Merseyside Police previously said: "Two parents have been charged following the death of their child three years ago in St Helens. Just after midnight on August 23, 2023, we received a report that a one-year-old boy, Maero Johnson, had been taken to hospital, but, despite medical staff's best efforts, he sadly passed away. A Home Office postmortem confirmed Maero died of ketonic hypoglycaemia and severe malnutrition."
