A PROSECUTION lawyer posed the suggestion that allegedly murdered toddler, Star Hobson, was "just the object" of her mother and partner's "amusement and fun".

Alistair MacDonald QC continued to cross-examine Frankie Smith - mother of Star - yesterday, in the 27th day of the trial into the alleged murder of the 16-month year old on September 22, last year.

Both Smith, 20, of Wesley Place and partner, Savanna Brockhill, 28, of Hawthorn Close, deny murdering baby Star and also causing or allowing her death.

MacDonald brought up a video taken by Smith of Star, who the mother accepts looked "very tired".

Brockhill can also be seen filming Star in Smith's video.

The baby looks to be nodding off, with a bowl of food sat in her lap, but continually wakes herself up and lifts her head, much like she did hours earlier on a plastic chair, before toppling off.

Eventually Star's head drops into the food where she falls asleep, all while Brockhill is "tucking into her chicken dinner", according to Mr MacDonald.

Brockhill can be heard in the video saying: "That's what happens when babies don't sleep."

The video lasted for one minute and 54 seconds and Smith admitted neither of them lifted a finger in that time.

Mr MacDonald asked: "Did you see how she was virtually asleep wasn't she? Rocking about, with food in her mouth, gobbing. Do you think it's awful?"

Smith accepted it was awful, but claimed she didn't know that at the time.

Mr MacDonald said the behaviour of the two women was "worse than not funny" due to the risk of the child swallowing food the wrong way when she was almost asleep.

He asked: "Didn't your love for your daughter not make you want to go to her, 'come here sweetheart', put her on your shoulder, get the food out her mouth and let her go to sleep?"

Smith said she didn't do that and again admitted videoing something like that was "awful", when questioned.

Mr MacDonald then said: "I'm going to suggest to you that no mother or person who loved Star could have allowed her to fall into her food like that.

"She was just the object of your amusement and fun?"

Smith replied: "No it wasn't anything like that."

Smith also claimed neither her or Brockhill ever submerged Star's head underwater, despite sending texts saying as such, because the mother said she is "petrified of water".

The back and forth messages accusing each other of dunking Star's head underwater happened when Brockhill had Smith's child overnight at the recycling plant in Doncaster.

It began when Smith, who accepted she was very drunk at that time, threatened to run Brockhill a bath the morning after - when Brockhill was due to bring Star back - and keep her underwater.

Brockhill responded to say, "you do it to Star", and then both defendants begin accusing each other, with Smith saying at one point Brockhill does it "for longer".

Mr MacDonald asked whether Smith sent that and what she meant by it.

She replied: "Yes, but I've never seen her do it, so I don't know why I did that."

Star hated having baths, according to Smith, and the prosecution asked the mother whether this was because sometimes the toddler would have her head submerged by both Smith and Brockhill.

Smith admitted saying they both did it, but that it never happened and couldn't even remember the conversation.

Mr MacDonald said: "You admitted you did it and you admitted Savanna did it for longer?"

Smith replied: "Yes but I didn't do it. I'm petrified of water, I'd never do that to anybody."

Star died of "catastrophic" abdominal injuries caused by blunt force trauma, severing the main vein in the lower part of her body.

The trial continues.