A jury is expected to retire on Tuesday to consider its verdict in the case of a man accused of killing a toddler, who died after suffering multiple non-accidental traumatic injuries to her head and body in June, 2018.
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Timothy Andrew Whiteley, 28, has pleaded not guilty to murder over the death of the 20-month-old girl - who cannot be identified - and for the past two weeks has faced a trial before Justice Stephen Rothman in Newcastle Supreme Court.
Crown Prosecutor Lee Carr, SC, said during his closing address on Monday that Mr Whiteley had changed his version of events over time and had told "lies" to the jury "to distance himself from the crime scene" - said to be the child's bedroom.
Mr Carr said Mr Whiteley told the toddler's mother - who also cannot be identified - and his friend, who was sitting outside the home at the time the child was injured, that he had just left the girl's bedroom after searching for his glasses when he heard a thud and saw the toddler on the ground from the corner of his eye.
But Mr Carr said Mr Whiteley gave evidence during the trial that he was about 10 to 15 metres from the child's bedroom, in the kitchen, at the time.
Mr Carr submitted the original version was the truth and "implicates him in the exact location at the time".
He said the prosecution case was circumstantial - no-one saw the injuries inflicted and no admissions had been made - but he argued the evidence pointed to Mr Whiteley's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
However, Public Defender Peter Krisenthal said during his closing submissions that the prosecution had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that his client inflicted the wounds on the toddler.
While Mr Carr had earlier called the child's mother a reliable witness, Mr Krisenthal argued that her version of events had changed over time and said it was "an entirely plausible scenario" that she had fatally injured the toddler.
Mr Krisenthal said, given the medical evidence during the trial, it was possible that some of the injuries had been inflicted before the girl was put to bed.
He also labelled Mr Whiteley's friend a "largely unreliable witness" who had "issues in respect of his memory".
Mr Krisenthal said Mr Whiteley had been fully co-operative with police and held nothing back from investigators - including during a voluntary interview the day of the toddler's death, before he had been charged.
The court heard the child suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including six fractured ribs.
She had blood in her abdomen likely from three lacerations to her liver and 13 areas on her head were injured - including bruising under her scalp.
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