A father has admitted he flung his baby son on to the floor in a fit of rage, allegedly causing injuries from which the boy died 14 years later.
Lejaune Wood, 43, from the German city of Wuppertal, told a court he was 'losing his mind' but never intended to seriously hurt four-month-old LJ at the family home in Hayes, west London.
He admitted it was his idea to wait for two days before his wife Paquita took LJ to hospital with a broken arm and ribs, a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain on December 12 2007.
LJ died at the age of 14 on December 6, 2021, allegedly from complications linked to the earlier assault, and Wood was later charged with his murder.
Giving evidence at his Old Bailey trial on Wednesday, hotel night-shift worker Wood told jurors about the moment he 'yanked' the baby from LJ's mother's arms.
He said: 'I was losing my mind and I guess I was frustrated with everything going on. I was angry also with myself.
'At that time I was hardly sleeping. I was working a lot. I was literally trying my best to put food on the table – and at that I was failing.
'That morning I just wanted my wife to be there for me. I was literally breaking down inside of me.'
After being 'yanked' from his mother's arms and hurled to the floor as a four-month-old baby, LJ Wood died 14 years later at Hillingdon Hospital - his father Lejaune is accused of his murder
Wood was born in Barbados but brought up in Germany from the age of three when he was adopted and became a German citizen.
He came to the UK in 2005 and met his wife Paquita at the hotel where they both worked, the court heard.
When Paquita became pregnant, Wood said he was 'anxious and happy' even though it was not planned.
LJ's premature birth eight weeks early put Wood under 'quite a lot of strain' and he felt 'scared' of losing his wife after she was admitted to hospital with a postnatal infection, he said.
He told jurors: 'About that time, our life was really stressed. It was very strained. It was kind of like living one day to the next.
'Financially we were living day-to-day. I got a promotion but that was still not enough to live on. I had to work every hour of the day. I was tired and I was stressed.'
The couple had argued about parenting styles, with his Caribbean and German background clashing with her African one, jurors heard.
On the morning of December 12, Wood woke and called to his wife in the kitchen to come back to bed as he felt 'lonely', the court heard.
Wood said: 'She said she had to care for LJ and give him his milk. I explained she was spending too much time with LJ and not enough time with me.
'I remember me getting agitated and angry. I said, "I work every single hour, the least you can do is spend some time with me". I threw it in my wife's face.
'I got really angry and I got really agitated and then I grabbed LJ out of her hands while she was turning away so I couldn't take him. I was so furious at that point.
'I grabbed LJ by his arms while she was turning away, pulling towards me. I was holding very tight.
'The way I yanked him out of her hands, he was not supported in any kind of way.'
The defendant said he felt 'frustration and anger' and LJ's head had 'flopped'.
Paquita tried to intervene, but Wood said he pushed her face hard, causing her to fall to the floor.
He said: 'At this stage, I just had enough and I flung LJ to the floor. It was quite a bit of force. At that point I was all over the place.'
On seeing LJ crying, Wood said he 'came to my senses', picked him up and ran into the bathroom to put water on him to 'settle' him.
Afterwards, Paquita suggested they take LJ to hospital to get checked out but Wood said he wanted to wait a couple of days to 'see how he is'.
He said he did not initially notice any injury but his wife later pointed out LJ's arm was 'floppy' and he had a lump on his head.
By December 14, Wood said he and his wife were 'very worried' and they decided she would take him to Hillingdon Hospital because he had to go to work.
Wood accepted he had caused LJ's injuries and that what he had done was 'unlawful'.
But he told jurors he had no intention to cause LJ serious harm during the incident that lasted a couple of minutes.
Asked what he had been thinking when he grabbed LJ from his wife, Wood said: 'I wanted to take him from her so maybe she would pay attention to me rather than LJ.'
On why he then threw him to the floor, he said: 'At that time I just had enough. It was more like I was saying, "Here, have your child".'
Wood denies murder and the trial continues.