Zakari Bennett-Eko: Father ‘believed baby son was becoming the devil’
Bennett #Bennett
*:not([hidden]):not(style) ~ *:not([hidden]):not(style){margin-top:1rem;} ]]]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> *:not([hidden]):not(style) ~ *:not([hidden]):not(style){margin-left:0.5rem;} ]]]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> image captionZakari William Bennett-Eko was found in the River Irwell ]]> *:not([hidden]):not(style) ~ *:not([hidden]):not(style){margin-top:1rem;} ]]]]> ]]>
]]> A man who threw his 11-month-old son into a river believed the baby was becoming the devil, a court has heard.
Zakari Bennett-Eko
]]> drowned in the River Irwell in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester in September 2019.
His father, Zak Bennett-Eko, was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, the jury was told.
His defence argue that the 23-year-old defendant is not guilty by reason of insanity, the court sitting at Salford’s Lowry theatre has heard.
But the prosecution’s case is that he is guilty of manslaughter by diminished responsibility,
Rob Hall, prosecuting, said Mr Bennett-Eko’s partner Emma Blood, who was eight months pregnant, told him on the day of Zakari’s death that he needed to start looking after himself because she would not be able to care for two babies and him.
He said: “It may be that exchange set the seed in Zak’s mind that they would be better off without Zakari.
“Zak would later claim at about this time he saw Zakari’s legs expanding and that he, Zakari, was turning into the devil.”
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]]> Mental health problems
The court heard how Mr Bennett-Eko left the family home in River Street, Radcliffe, with his son in a pushchair.
The jury was told Mr Bennett-Eko later said he passed two women with “eyes like the devil” and that they wanted him to drown his son.
The court heard the defendant had suffered from mental health problems and, at 17, was sectioned and diagnosed with psychosis related to cannabis use.
He began a relationship with Miss Blood in 2016 and in October 2018 Zakari was born.
Mr Hall said, following Zakari’s birth, the couple argued and Mr Bennett-Eko began to miss GP appointments and started to consume cannabis.
The court heard Miss Blood messaged friends in September 2019 expressing concerns about his behaviour.
Mr Hall said Mr Bennett-Eko attended North Manchester General Hospital on 8 September where he “appeared very agitated” and wanted to be sectioned but left “before he was further attended upon”.
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