A six-week-old baby boy suspected to have been murdered by his father had 28 bone fractures, a jury has been told.

McKenzie Ellis - who died from a bleed on the brain at King's College Hospital - had sustained 18 breaks to his ribs and 10 elsewhere at the time of his death in July last year.

Prosecutors allege Lee Vernon caused the fatal head injury by shaking the baby boy, but the 21-year-old claims it occurred when he accidentally dropped McKenzie.

He has admitted killing his son, pleading guilty to manslaughter and two counts of inflicting GBH.

But he denies murder and two charges of inflicting GBH with intent.

At his trial at Maidstone Crown Court, the prosecution has alleged Vernon "intentionally inflicted non-accidental injuries on his son", resulting in a fractured skull and the bleed on the brain.

McKenzie was taken to the QEQM Hospital on July 23 after collapsing at his home in Linley Road, Broadstairs.

He was transferred to Kings College Hospital in London but never recovered and died three days later, aged just 47 days old.

The jury have been given an eight-page document showing computer-generated images of the injuries McKenzie sustained before his death.

The UK's only forensic bone expert, Professor David Mangham, says he believes they were caused deliberately.

"The number of fractures and re-fractures indicate, in my opinion, they were non-accidental injuries," he told the jury.

He believes partial fractures to five of the baby's ribs occurred between three and seven days before McKenzie's death.

He added some of the injuries could have been sustained up to three weeks before.

There were also fractures to the baby's left collarbone, right femur and left ankle, caused between three to five days prior to his death.

Prof Mangham said some of the back ribs had been broken, including some which were "re-fractures".

He said one of the ribs had a fracture that was a "non-accidental" injury, telling the jury that "substantial force" would have been needed to cause compression fractures to the baby's chest.

He added that some of the causes of the fractures included bones being pulled apart, as in a "swinging, pulling and twisting" action.

Other injuries were typical of "classic shaken baby syndrome", he told the court.

"The injuries caused include whiplash and also blunt-force injuries," he said.

Vernon claims he accidentally dropped the baby, saying McKenzie collided with the wooden arm of a chair before falling to the ground.

But the prosecution say he is a "manipulative liar who is able to provide a convincing account which is inconsistent with the medical opinion".

The trial continues.

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