Drink 'did not affect baby care'

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A nanny has denied being drunk while caring for a two-month-old baby whose death she is alleged to have caused.

Linda Wise, 47, is accused of shaking Isaac Rowlinson with such force he suffered brain damage and epilepsy.

Ten months later the boy, the son of two Lancashire Police detectives, suffered a fatal epileptic fit.

At Liverpool Crown Court, Ms Wise, from Anglesey, denied manslaughter, saying she had drunk two glasses of wine but her ability to care was not affected.

Ms Wise refuted a claim by the boy's mother, Det Con Lisa Rowlinson, that she had found the nanny slurring her words while feeding Isaac one evening.

Linda Wise was hired as a maternity nurse

The nanny, who had previously worked for the actor Ed Stoppard and the Greek shipping magnates Philippe and Spyros Niarchos, said she had drank almost two small glasses of wine that evening while attending a barbecue with the Rowlinsons at their neighbour's home.

But she said it had not affected her ability to care for the baby.

The court has been told Isaac was born in June 2006 and almost immediately was diagnosed with feeding problems, which left him unable to hold down his milk and led to frequent hospital visits.

The jury has heard Isaac's health troubles also caused Mrs Rowlinson, 38, to suffer post-natal depression and sleepless nights.

In the August, she and her 41-year-old husband, Paul, a detective inspector, decided to cash in their savings and hire a maternity nurse to help with the baby.

Mr and Mrs Rowlinson were away when their son became ill

The couple, who have a daughter, Lily, who was four when Isaac was born, were put in touch with Ms Wise, from Gaerwen, Anglesey, North Wales, by an agency and she moved into their home in Penwortham, Lancashire.

The following month the couple left Isaac in Wise's care while they took an overnight trip to the Lake District.

While they were away, the prosecution has told the court, Wise shook Isaac and he became seriously ill.

He was subsequently diagnosed with brain damage and epilepsy.

The case continues.