An amputee murdered his partner's baby son during a catalogue of physical abuse, a Court heard.

Aaron Giles, 22, who had both his legs amputated below the knee after a road accident, smothered four-month-old Ben Denton at the home he was sharing with the tot's mother, Jodie Denton, it was alleged.

Prosecutor Jeremy Richardson QC said that Giles had also deliberately inflicted other serious injuries on Ben and his 13-month-old sister while the children had been left in his sole care.

He said Ben had sustained a fractured skull and broken leg and his sister, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also suffered a fractured leg while they were alone with Giles in the house in Dalcross Street, West Bowling, Bradford.

Giles has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ben and two charges of causing him grievous bodily harm with intent and assaulting him causing him actual bodily harm. He also denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent to his sister.

But Mr Richardson told the Leeds Crown Court jury yesterday: "We say the injuries were non-accidental and were part and parcel of the long history of abuse.

"When you have carefully considered the whole picture you will be convinced that the defendant inflicted all of the injuries found on these two children and was responsible for the eventual death of Ben."

He said Ben was taken to hospital on Friday, November 8, 2002, after Giles told Jodie he had dropped the baby while taking him downstairs. The child suffered an injured mouth but the hospital accepted Giles' explanation.

Four days later, said Mr Richardson, Ms Denton returned from the Post Office to find Ben lying on the bathroom floor in obvious pain and with a "huge lump" on the side of his head.

His sister was in her cot but was unable to bear her weight when she tried to stand up. The children were again taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where Ben was found to have a fractured skull, the jury heard.

Giles explained that Ben had rolled off the bed and banged his head.

Mr Richardson said the boy did not appear to have any other injuries. Social Services were called in but they accepted Giles' story about how the youngster was injured, he said

On November 19, the sister was sent for x-rays at the hospital which appeared to be normal.

The prosecutor told the jury: "It's very easy to be critical of the hospital and Social Services. You are not here to apportion blame. You have the benefit of looking back with hindsight. These individual doctors and social workers were only seeing a snapshot."

Mr Richardson said that between 9.30am and 10.35am on Sunday, December 15, 2002, Giles, who was not the father of the two children, murdered Ben while Ms Denton was visiting her mother.

He said: "There was a desperate call to the grandmother's home by the defendant who informed the mother Ben had stopped breathing."

Paramedics were called who noticed the baby was limp, his eyes were glazed and he had haemorrhaging around his eyes, the court was told. He was taken to BRI but died.

Mr Richardson said: "The haemorrhaging, coupled with injuries to the face, revealed to the doctor that the cause of death was asphyxiation, smothering of the child."

Professor Helen Carty, a world expert in child x-rays, examined those of the two children and found a fractured tibia on the girl's leg and Ben's fractured tibia and skull.

Her view of the fractured skull was that considerable force would have been required to inflict the injury and it would not have been caused by a simple fall from the bed, said Mr Richardson.

He told the jury that a consultant paediatrician also found that a very significant direct blow to the head would have been required to cause the skull fracture.

Giles denied to police that he had hurt or harmed the children and said the injuries were a terrible accident.

But Mr Richardson said that, after his arrest, Giles was visited by Ms Denton while he was a patient at Lynfield Mount Hospital, Bradford, and when they discussed the possibility of him being charged with murder he told her: "I'll just act nutty and they'll section me off to here."

Mr Richardson said that amounted to a confession. He added the defendant's explanations for the injuries were not plausible.

Mr Richardson said that Giles used artificial legs following the road accident in 2000 but was able to move about the house quite easily on the stumps of his legs and would go up and down the stairs holding Ben between his teeth while using his arms to balance himself.

The trial continues.