Wigan tot Hollie Ashurst: How a normal day turned into every parent's worst nightmare

Her partner Daniel Ashurst, who was 32 at the time, dropped Leanne off at work and went to Asda in Wigan for breakfast with their 14-month-old tot.

He had photographs taken and would have appeared to be a proud father to the other customers tucking into their toast.

The pair headed from the supermarket to their rented home on Fleming Court, Shevington, before popping out to pay someone he knew from the gym for a diet plan.

Ashurst and Hollie went home again - and he is the only person alive who knows exactly what happened then.

At 1.40pm, Ashurst drove to Standish Medical Practice, on High Street, Standish, with baby Hollie, who was unresponsive and did not appear to be conscious.

He told staff she had fallen down the stairs at home and an ambulance was called.

A doctor at the surgery had a look at Hollie and found she was extremely pale and quite poorly. They started trying to revive her using CPR.

Paramedics arrived and took Hollie to Wigan Infirmary as they battled to save her life.

Ashurst called his partner, who was at work and unaware of what had happened to her beautiful baby girl.

He told a number of people different accounts of how Hollie had been injured, but consistently said she had fallen down just two steps on the staircase at their home.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of medical staff, the tot was pronounced dead at 4.36pm on Friday, March 1 at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had a lot of injuries, which were not consistent with Ashurst’s account of what had happened and which both hospital staff and the pathologist suspected were not accidental.

Doctors believed she had suffered head trauma inflicted by shaking or impact.

Hollie had bilateral subdural haematoma - a serious condition usually caused by a head injury, where blood collects between the skull and the surface of the brain - and bilateral haemorrhages in both eyes.

She also had a fractured ankle, possible bite marks, and bruising on her face, chin and chest.

Hollie’s father was arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault and then murder, but made no comment to all the questions asked by police in a number of interviews.

Ashurst was charged with his daughter’s murder on Monday, March 4 and appeared in the dock at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court the next morning. Around 10 family members sat in silence as proceedings took place.

Ashurst has been in custody ever since and pleaded not guilty to both murder and manslaughter at Manchester Crown Court in July.

He and his legal team were given all the medical evidence as they prepared their case for the trial and put together a defence statement saying Hollie was injured in a number of incidents on the same day.

The investigation into Hollie’s death revealed police and social services had not been involved with the family previously.

Ashurst had two previous convictions, both relating to a driving matter in 2006, and was unemployed, relying on benefits and cash given to him by his mother and uncle.

The former Abraham Guest High School pupil previously worked in various warehouses and factories, before getting a job at Heinz in Kitt Green in his early to mid-20s.

Special report in tomorrow's (Friday) Wigan Evening Post ...