PostmortemState Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers told the trial the head injuries Mason suffered were the result of shaking and being struck by a hard surface such as a floor or wall. The pathologist concluded that the cause of death was a traumatic head injury in association with blunt force trauma to the abdomen. Following McGhee’s arrest for murder, she pleaded guilty to assaulting the child on January 1st, 2021, and March 5th, 2021. When her trial began last month, she pleaded not guilty to the boy’s murder, but guilty to manslaughter. Her anonymity was preserved during the trial to protect a child who was due to give evidence in her trial.

Source: The Irish Times January 14, 2026 21:04 UTC