- 21-month-old Jordan Thompson died in March 2005
- His mother’s boyfriend is accused of manslaughter
Nearly two decades later, a jury has again failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the death of toddler Jordan Thompson.
The 21-month-old baby was found unconscious and rushed to Singleton Hospital in the Hunter region of New South Wales on March 19, 2005.
At the time, the child was in the care of Cecil Patrick Kennedy, who was charged with manslaughter for the second time in the New South Wales District Court after the first trial concluded in September 2023 without a jury verdict.
Prosecutors said Kennedy, who was in a relationship with his mother, Bernice Swales, at the time, prescribed the child antidepressants.
However, the jury was disbanded on Monday after they were unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict.
During the trial, the jury heard that Jordan was agitated and crying when Kennedy took him to his bedroom the morning before his death.
The toddler was then seen to be sleepy, unsteady on his feet and vomiting, at which point Mrs Swales put him to bed and left to go to the shops.
When she returned, she found her son naked and unconscious on the bed, while Kennedy attempted CPR.
Twenty-one-month-old toddler Jordan Thompson was found unconscious and rushed to Singleton Hospital in the Hunter region of New South Wales on March 19, 2005, where he died.
Prosecutors alleged the toddler was given antidepressants by Cecil Patrick Kennedy (pictured), who was in a relationship with his mother, Bernice Swales, at the time
Jordan was taken to hospital in an unconscious state, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 7 p.m.
Prosecutor Kate Nightingale said toxicology tests had found traces of the antidepressant amitriptyline, sold under the brand name Endep, for which Kennedy had a prescription.
The jury heard that Kennedy had changed his story about what happened to Jordan, initially telling Swales that he had fallen in or out of the bath.
He later told police he left the toddler unattended in the bathtub for about 40 seconds before returning to find him face down in the water, Nightingale said.
The case will return to court on October 4.