Babysitter guilty of child's murder

A babysitter has been convicted of killing her neighbour's two-year-old son by repeatedly hitting his head against a wooden banister.

A 34-year-old Suzanne Holdsworth snapped while minding Kyle Fisher at her home in Hartlepool while the child's 19-year-old single mother was at a nightclub in the town last July.

Holdsworth, a mother of two daughters, hit the child's head against a wooden banister, causing severe brain injuries, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Andrew Robertson QC, prosecuting, told the jury the injuries were "similar to those suffered by a child thrown from a car at 60mph".

Holdsworth, of Millpool Close, Hartlepool, maintained she had not injured the child and claimed he had suffered a fit as they sat watching TV.

Teesside Crown Court heard that no one knew why Holdsworth assaulted the young boy while his mother Clare was on a night out.

The youngster was rushed to hospital after the incident last August but died two days later.