Man denies murdering his six-year-old daughter

A father has gone on trial for the murder of his six-year-old daughter, who allegedly died from injuries he inflicted when she was a baby.

Kyle Kitchen, 38, vigorously shook Primrose Kane and either hit her with a hard object or threw her against a hard surface when she was eight weeks old, the Old Bailey heard.

Primrose suffered serious brain injuries and a fractured skull after the attack in November 2014 that left her profoundly disabled and in constant pain, jurors were told. She died in May 2021.

Kitchen, from Camden, north London, has denied murder.

Jurors were told on Tuesday that Kitchen had been charged with Primrose's murder while already serving a sentence for assaulting her.

She had lived with Kitchen and her mother, Kenzey Kane, 31, in a bedsit in Camden.

The couple's relationship was "frequently volatile", leading to Kitchen being previously arrested and cautioned for assaulting his partner, the court was told.

Jurors heard Ms Kane had been holding her three-week-old daughter when Kitchen repeatedly slapped her face in a row over the baby crying.

The couple had been alone at the time Primrose was seriously assaulted in November 2014, the court was told.

Ms Kane called 111 to report that Primrose had gone "floppy" and would not wake up after making odd movements and sounds in the night.

During the call, Kitchen was allegedly heard to say that Primrose had blood around her nose and was not breathing.

Paramedics arrived within minutes and found the baby was unresponsive, jurors heard.

She was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in north London, where a scan revealed a skull fracture and serious brain injury.

Primrose remained in hospital for six weeks, and upon her release was placed into the care of her maternal grandmother, Maria Kane.

She developed multiple problems related to her brain injury, including cerebral palsy, feeding issues, an inability to communicate verbally and drug-resistant epilepsy.

Kitchen was later convicted of two charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, to reflect the fracture to Primrose's skull and the shaking injuries.

Ms Kane was found guilty of causing or allowing serious injury to a child by failing to protect her daughter.

Their daughter died from her injuries in 2021, a post-mortem examination found.

The Old Bailey trial continues.

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