A teenage mother accused of murdering her newborn son told police she "cuddled him goodbye, kissed him on the forehead" then "gently placed him in (a bin bag)", jurors heard.

Paris Mayo, who is now 19 but was 15 at the time, is accused of inflicting complex skull fractures on little Stanley Mayo at her parents' home.

The Crown has alleged that after inflicting the fractures, possibly caused by Mayo's foot on his head, she then stuffed five pieces of cotton wool into his mouth - two of which were found deep in the throat.

Her baby is thought to have lived just a little over two hours, Worcester Crown Court was previously told, although Mayo says the boy never showed signs of life.

She is alleged to have concealed her pregnancy and the birth of Stanley in a sitting room in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, on March 23 2019.

Mayo interviews with police at Hereford police station were re-read in court. She told police cotton wool balls may have got into the baby's throat when she had cleaned up blood coming from his mouth.

Later, asked why she did not ask her mother, who was upstairs asleep, for help, Mayo replied: "I didn't want her to be ashamed of me."

The court heard Mayo told police she was likely "in denial" about her pregnancy.

After suffering painful cramps throughout the preceding 48 hours, it was sometime around 9.30pm, she delivered her son alone.

"When I was stood, I got sharp pain, I put my head on my arms and heard something make a noise - you could hear something hit the floor," she said.

Mayo said the baby was not making a noise or moving and wasn't a normal baby colour.

She added she'd put him in a bin bag as she 'just wanted it all to be over with.'

Mayo said: "I didn't pick him up and just chuck him in there, because that's horrible.

"I opened it up and put it on the floor, so he wouldn't fall in or hurt himself, I picked him up and I cuddled him goodbye.

"I kissed him on his forehead, gently placed him in there, (and) put the placenta in next to him.

"I tied it (the bag). I picked it up from the bottom where he was, walked by the front door and put the bag there.

"I knew my mum was going to see it there, I left it there to find - on purpose."

The following day her mother looked inside the bag and - finding the dead youngster - dialled 999.

Mayo, of Ruardean, Gloucestershire, denies wrongdoing and the trial continues.