Moments before a man was told he would face a murder charge over the death of his girlfriend’s son he denied harming him, saying “I tried to save him”.
Video of the moment Brendan Pallant, 36, was informed he would be charged with murder was played to the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Mr Pallant, who has pleaded not guilty, had been arrested 30 hours earlier following the death of Jaidyn Gomes-Sebastiao on September 2, 2019.
The alarm was raised by Mr Pallant, who said he entered the two-year-old’s bedroom about 4pm to wake him from a nap.
He said Jaidyn was put in bed by his mother, Stacie Saggers, about 12.30pm before she left for work.
In an interview room at Frankston Police Station the following day, Mr Pallant flailed his arms and dry wretched as he was told he would be charged.
Minutes earlier he was questioned by police whether he killed Jaidyn, responding; “No, I tried to save, I tried to save him.”
He held his head in his hands and rubbed his temples as he told officers he did not feel “medically sound”.
Mr Pallant is facing trial over Jaidyn’s alleged murder, with prosecutors alleging he was struck with the leg of a lamp table in a “short but profound” period of stress and frustration.
In his opening address to the jury his barrister, Rishi Nathwani, said they would have to decide if his client inflicted the fatal injuries.
In his first interview with investigators, Mr Pallant described entering Jaidyn’s room to find the toddler face down and covered with blood.
“I’ve screamed to Stacie call triple-0,” he said.
“I’m checking for breath, looking for a pulse, and hearing … nothing.”
The father-of-three said he performed CPR on Jaidyn, only stopping when police arrived about 10 minutes later and took over.
In a video played to the jury, a visibly upset Mr Pallant tells police he has no idea what happened.
“I haven’t seen him f–k all,” he said.
“I don’t think I’d even seen him since the morning.”
The jury heard Jaidyn was pronounced dead minutes after paramedics arrived, with ambulance officers noting he was cold to the touch.
One of the first police officers to arrive at the scene, Senior Constable Beau Barrett, gave evidence that Mr Pallant was “crying uncontrollably” as he entered the home.
He said Ms Saggers, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, was standing outside screaming hysterically when he arrived.
“She said something along the lines of ‘It was an accident, he was my baby’,” he told the court.
Another officer, Senior Constable Karin Wood, said Ms Saggers told her “Brendan wouldn’t hurt a child”.
On Tuesday, forensic pathologist Michael Burke told the jury that Jaidyn died from brain injuries attributed to “moderate to severe” blunt force trauma.
“I believe it’s due to an assault,” Dr Burke said.
“The extent of the brain injury is too great to attribute to an accident.”
The court was told hair and blood was found at several locations in Jaidyn’s room, including the floor, skirting board, a foam couch and a metal and wood table.
Mr Nathwani said questions would be raised about whether his client was the last person to see Jaidyn alive.
The trial, before Justice Jane Dixon, continues.