MAPPERLEY MAN ADMITS TO KILLING HIS 11-YEAR-OLD SON IN DERBYSHIRE
A 41-year-old Mapperley man has admitted that he murdered his 11-year-old son in Derbyshire.Michael Harrison, of Eaton Terrace in Mapperley, appeared in person at Derby Crown Court for a hearing on Monday (April 3).
Harrison, dressed in a grey tracksuit, had previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mikey Harrison during a hearing in December.
That meant he admitted causing the death of Mikey, who died on June 18 last year, but denied a more serious charge of murdering him, Derbyshire Live reports.
But speaking at Monday's hearing in Derby, Vanessa Marshall KC, his barrister, said: "The matter is due to be tried on April 17 but medical reports have now been served by the crown and we have had the opportunity to speak to the defendant.
We have taken a number of matters into consideration and can I ask that he is re arraigned?" Sue Ford, court clerk, asked the defendant: "Michael Harrison you are charged with murder in that on June 18, 2022, you murdered Mikey Harrison.
Are you guilty or not guilty?" He replied: "Guilty." Initially, Harrison told police that Mikey's injuries were caused by him falling out of a tree near Shipley Country Park.
However, his barrister clarified that the defendant's case was that his son was punched multiple times in the abdomen, then fell in a bathroom and may have hit his head or stomach during the fall.
Ambulance crews were called to Thorpes Road in Heanor around 1:15 pm on June 18 after reports of Mikey injured.
He later died in hospital.
In a statement shortly after Mikey's death, Derbyshire Police Chief Superintendent Hayley Barnett said: "I completely understand that the tragic news of a young boy's death has sparked shock and concern in the local community and that people will speculate about the circumstances surrounding the death.
As charges are now brought, we are limited in what we can say because of ongoing court proceedings.
I want to reassure the public that this is an isolated incident." Michael Harrison will be sentenced at a later date.
