Consultant pediatrician, dr. Victoria Thomas, said Charlie went into cardiac arrest at his Frosterley Drive home and by the afternoon “it was clear he was not going to survive his injuries”, with Charlie dying the next day.

She said as soon as she arrived at the hospital, medical staff immediately had “significant concerns” and were “very concerned that someone had harmed Charlie”.

In particular, Dr. Thomas said Charlie had a severe bruise on his left ear, which was an area of ​​the body that was “extremely unlikely” to have been accidentally injured.

“It raised very significant concerns about deliberate wounding,” she said.

Dr. Thomas said scans revealed severe bleeding in Charlie’s brain and eyes, a “strong marker for non-accidental injuries”.

She said the “most likely” cause of the fatal brain bleed was an “inflicted injury” and that the only time she had seen such injuries in non-accidental cases was in “high-speed” car crashes.

The trial previously heard that Mr Stockton and Ms Roberts had been in a relationship since January 2023 and he had moved into her home days before the attack.

Mr Stockton was up until 05:00 GMT on January 12 playing video games and watching TV, the court heard.

Ms Roberts left home for an optician’s appointment at around 08:45, with Mr Stockton calling the emergency services shortly after 09:00.

The process continues.