Couple played video game while son suffered from brain injury

The 27-year-old mother was queuing up at midnight to buy the Black Box Ops 2 game while her boyfriend allegedly assaulted the crying baby.

When the mother returned in the early hours the baby was put to bed and the couple played the game for a couple of hours until they fell asleep.

Later that day their son was found to be “floppy, pale and unresponsive” and was “clearly unwell”.

The baby was found to have suffered severe brain damage which the prosecution claim was caused by the 24-year-old father.

He initially claimed the injuries were caused by the tot’s elder brother hitting the infant over the head with his feeding bottle.

But Mr Christopher Tehrani QC, prosecuting, said the father later confessed to police saying he had shaken the baby — a confession he later withdrew, saying it was “untrue”.

Sheffield Crown Court heard the victim, now two-and-a-half years old, survived but is severely brain injured.

The father denies inflicting grievous bodily harm on the child and the mother denies cruelty by not seeking medical attention.

They sat silently 12 feet apart in the dock without even glancing at each other. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

In her police interviews, the mother said her son had trouble breathing twice on the afternoon before the alleged assault and then refused his milk.

She said she had queued up for the video game and returned after midnight before playing it with her boyfriend for a couple of hours.

Mr Tehrani said the mother had neglected the child by not seeking immediate medical help the day before the tot's collapse and on the day of the incident.

The court heard the father said the injuries were caused by underlying problems the baby suffered at birth and claimed he did not shake or assault the child.

The trial continues.