River death trial: Father gives evidence

Giving evidence at Birmingham Crown Court, Christopher Grady spoke about the moment the car he was driving plunged into the River Avon in Worcestershire in February last year. His 5 year old daughter Gabby and 6 year old son Ryan were inside.

The court heard that Ryan was rescued by police divers, but Gabby – who spent two hours under water – died 3 days later in hospital.

Mr Grady told the court: “I went down to try to find Gabby about five times. Every time I was looking I could feel all these different things. I had my eyes open. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.

“By the time I’d left the vehicle I was 100 percent (sure) Gabby wasn’t there.”

“To lose your child and be blamed for it is a hundred times worse than just losing a child.” Christopher Grady

Asked why he had driven the car into the River Avon he said: “I was just driving down a field. I didn’t even know it was there. I would never ever hurt my children deliberately.”

Earlier, Gabby’s mother, Kim Smith, left the court when Grady described how he and Gabby had gone under the water.

He broke down as he told the court: “To lose your child and be blamed for it is a hundred times worse than just losing a child.” Sobbing, he went on: “She was my baby and everybody knows that.”

He said that the closest he’d ever come to hurting her was taking headlice out of her hair.

Court order

Christopher Grady said he’d been given a court order to allow him to see Gabby and Ryan. But he told the court that their mother had tried to stop him seeing them completely.

“It just ground me down,” he said. “It got worse and worse. The more she pushed the more it made me feel useless and worthless.”

Later he said: “The reason I wouldn’t kill myself is I would never have left my children.”

Grady claimed that his relationship with Kim Smith broke down after she started taking drugs. He said she had stabbed him and hit him over the head with a barstool.

‘Emotionally unstable’

Christopher Grady told the court he had been “emotionally unstable” at the time of the incident. He said: “I was quite tearful and quite upset”.

When asked if it went beyond feeling sorry for himself, he said: “No”. Grady said he felt like he had “lost everything”.

He continued: “I had thought of suicide. I did have thoughts…I would say probably really six months…I would say I’d probably been feeling very low for six months.”

Eight notes were found in Christopher Grady’s car, all in an envelope with “Please ta (sic) this to police” written on it.

Grady claims he cannot remember writing any of the notes. He said: “I can’t remember writing any letters”.

In one of the notes was written: “She should pay”.

“Who should pay,” asked prosecuting counsel Graham Reeds QC. Grady responded: “I don’t know. I can’t remember writing it”.

Another note marked “Kim” said: “You led me to this, my kids with me now”. Again Grady said he could not remember writing the letter.

Another note – apparently to Grady’s grown up children – read: “Kids work hard. We love you loads x I’m sorry please forgive me”.

Another said: “Love you mom god bless x”.

One note apparently gave instructions of what should happen following his death. It read: “Will you put 3 trees of light in Evesham at my funeral. Will you say love my children and this is the only way to be with them and keep them safe. I love you all.”

When pressed by the prosecution on whether he would want his children to be with Kim Smith if he died, he said: “If I wasn’t around I’d prefer my children to live with my daughter”.

He denies murdering Gabby and the attempted murder of Ryan.