Baby girl murder accused 'tried to save her life'

Baby Alexis Matheson was six weeks old when she died in hospital in December 2007

A man accused of murdering a six-week-old baby girl in Aberdeen battled to save her life, a court has heard.

Mark Simpson, 29, denies murdering Alexis Matheson by assaulting her between 8 November and 9 December 2007.

He allegedly seized hold of her, shook her and compressed her chest, leaving her so severely injured that she died.

On the third day of the trial at the High Court in Aberdeen, his mother, Alison Wilson, 51, said he tried to resuscitate Alexis when she was floppy.

Mrs Wilson told the court her son had called her to say Alexis seemed very ill. He seemed anxious and she drove over to help him.

She said: "Mark was on the floor giving mouth-to-mouth to Alexis, she was unconscious.

"I told Mark to check her pulse. She did not have one."

She said they drove to hospital, with Mr Simpson still doing first aid in the passenger seat.

Mrs Wilson said a doctor asked if anyone had dropped the baby, and said she had a skull fracture.

She said they told the doctor that they had not dropped her, and that Alexis's mother Ilona said that if they thought she had done something they should take her to court.

Get married

Mrs Wilson said her son loved the baby as if she was his own.

The jury has heard Mr Simpson started seeing Alexis's mother after splitting up from her older sister Amanda Neish.

Mrs Wilson told the court she had no concerns about the way the baby was being brought up.

She said her son had a temper like anyone else when provoked but was usually a calm person.

She also said the couple planned to get married.

The baby died after being taken to hospital in Edinburgh.

The trial, which is scheduled to last several weeks, continues on Friday.