Dad, 23, hurled his 11-month-old son to his death into freezing cold river
A dad hurled his 11-month-old baby to his death into a freezing cold river, a court heard.
Little Zakari Bennett-Eko was rescued from the River Irwell in Greater Manchester on September 11 last year but pronounced dead in hospital shortly after.
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Zak Bennett-Eko, 23, hurled his 11-month-old baby to his death into a freezing cold river, a court heardCredit: Facebook
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His dad Zak Bennett-Eko, 23, was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the incident, the court heard.
Rob Hall, prosecuting, said: "At 4.20 in the afternoon of Wednesday September 11 2019 in Radcliffe, north Manchester, Zak Bennett-Eko, then 22 years old, threw his 11-month-old son Zakari into the River Irwell.
"There is no dispute that at the time Mr Bennett-Eko was suffering from mental illness."
He added that the act had been observed by members of the public who had quickly raised the alarm - but the inaccessibility of the river and strength of the current meant it took an hour for emergency services to rescue Zakari.
By this time, the little boy's "heart had stopped and he was very cold" and he was pronounced dead at the Royal Bolton Hospital at 6.55pm, Mr Hall told the court.
Mr Hall said: “The prosecution case is simply that the defendant, Mr Bennett-Eko, is guilty of manslaughter by reason of his responsibility being diminished by his mental illness.
“The defence case is that Mr Bennett-Eko is not guilty by reason of insanity from his mental illness, although the defence accept that in the alternative he is guilty of manslaughter by reason of his responsibility being diminished by mental illness.”
Judge Mr Justice Fraser told the seven women and five men on the jury they would hear evidence from experts about the defendant's mental health.
He said: "You must go on to decide whether, as a result of the disease of the mind from which the defendant was suffering at that time, it is more likely than not that either, a, he did not know what he was doing when he threw his son into the river or, b, he did not know what he was doing was wrong by the standards of reasonable, ordinary people."
Little Zakari Bennett-Eko was rescued from the River Irwell in Greater Manchester on September 11 last year but was pronounced dead in hospitalCredit: PA:Press Association
The court was told Bennett-Eko, of no fixed address, was not present in court because he was too unwell to attend.
The judge said the jury may be the only one in the country to hear such a trial in one of the Nightingale courts, which were set up to deal with a backlog of cases caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The trial, which is expected to last five to seven days, was adjourned until tomorrow when the prosecution will open the case.
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