A SOUTHAMPTON mother accused of neglecting her baby who was allegedly murdered by her teenage partner has denied delaying calling for an ambulance for her seriously injured son out of fear he would be taken away by social services.

The baby’s mother, who was 18 at the time of the allegations, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of child cruelty for failing to protect her baby or seek help for him.

The boy’s father, who was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of murder.

The trial has heard that the seven-week-old baby suffered fatal injuries including a skull fracture, broken leg and rib fractures in the “deliberate” attack at the mother’s flat in Southampton, in the early hours of February 11.

The child had also been bitten on the nose.

The jury has been told that the defendants went with the baby to a gathering in a neighbouring flat earlier that evening during which the father had drunk beer and vodka and had taken MDMA.

The mother, now aged 19 but who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that the father was “not falling over drunk”.

She added: “He was just talkative but nothing to stand out.”

She said that she had argued with the father during the night and said he had bitten the baby’s nose, which had prompted her to tell him to leave.

The mother said she had not witnessed this incident and had not been involved in cleaning up the blood and did not believe the child had needed immediate medical attention.

She added: “He was never bleeding when I saw him.”

She said that the father, who is now aged 17, had become apologetic so she agreed for him to have a moment to say goodbye to his son before leaving.

She said: “I said, ‘Say goodbye to your son and leave’.”

The mother said that the baby was then seriously injured when the father was alone with him and he told her that the child had fallen from the sofa as he changed his nappy and she had heard a “thud” and the baby screaming.

She said: “He said he was changing him on the sofa and he had fallen on the floor and that’s what I assumed had happened.”

Adam Feest QC, prosecuting, suggested to the mother that the serious injuries had occurred earlier and she had not called for an ambulance more quickly because she had been worried about getting in trouble with social services and losing her son.

She replied: “If I thought my son was in a critical condition I would have called an ambulance because without medical attention I would have lost him anyway so that wouldn’t make sense anyway.”

She added: “The only time he was upset and screaming was when I heard the thud.”

The mother denied that she had acted to cover up for the father or had lied out of loyalty to him.

The defendants deny the charges and the trial continues.