‘I’ve killed him’: Grandmother tells court of babysitter’s words while boy fought for life

The witness choked back tears as she recounted arriving at hospital to find staff working on her dying grandson, and told of her own attempts to console her close friend who would later be charged with the little boy’s alleged murder.

Connor’s grandmother Deborah Ballard and mother Emily Horan

UPDATE: The grandmother of a young boy who died after spending a weekend with his babysitter has told a court of her attempts to console the woman now accused of murdering him.

Deborah Ballard struggled through tears just seconds after entering the courtroom and facing the woman she said she once trusted and considered a close friend.

Lisa Rose Halcrow is charged with murdering two-year-old Connor Horan on August 19, 2018.

Mrs Ballard told the court Ms Halcrow called her on August 19, 2018 to say Connor had fallen down the stairs and it was “pretty serious”.

The boy’s grandmother told the babysitter to take him to hospital and Mrs Ballard followed shortly after.

Defence barrister David Jones read to Mrs Ballard parts of a statement she made to police in 2019, in which she recounts the moment she arrived at Warwick Hospital to find medical staff trying to save her dying grandson.

“(Lisa) was squatting down on her haunches on the ground, with her hands on her head. Then she sat on the ground rocking, crying,” Mr Jones read.

“I said, ‘what happened?’ She looked up at me and said, ‘I’ve killed him.’
“I said, ‘what the?’ and she screamed it out in the hallway a couple of times, ‘I’ve killed him’.

“I bent down and gave her a cuddle and said ‘what the hell happened?’

“She looked up at me and said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know’.”

Lisa Halcrow Babysitter charged Connor Horan Death

Mrs Ballard said Ms Halcrow “seemed to stop and think about it for a second” before saying she went to the toilet and left the door open and Connor fell down the stairs.

The grandmother told the court she believed at the time it was a tragic accident and at that point loved Ms Halcrow and considered her a close friend.

Mrs Ballard was the final of six witnesses to give evidence in a committal hearing in Warwick Magistrates Court this week.

Ms Halcrow is also accused of burning the little boy’s hands with an iron a year before his death.

The Warwick woman is charged with one count each of murder and grievous bodily harm.
She has pleaded not guilty to each charge.

The murder charge has been committed to the next sittings of the Toowoomba Supreme Court, and the grievous bodily harm charge has been committed to the Warwick District Court.

Ms Halcrow, who has been in police custody since her arrest in February last year, did not make an application for bail.

The 41-year-old will remain in custody until her trial.

EARLIER:The grandfather of a two-year-old boy allegedly murdered by his babysitter has told the court of the “stern” words he offered up to the woman charged over the youngster’s death.

Russell Ballard told Warwick Magistrates Court that as his grandson Connor Horan laid dying in the Warwick hospital he had a smoke and chat with the woman who would later be charged with the little boy’s alleged murder.

Police raid a property in East Street, Warwick in relation to the death of two-year-old Connor Horan. Picture: Warwick Daily News

Mr Ballard said Lisa Rose Halcrow, who watched the boy for the weekend ending August 19, 2018, told him at the hospital she was worried about “getting in trouble”.
The court was told the grandfather “looked her straight in the eye” before telling her, “Listen, you have absolutely nothing to worry about, sweetheart.”

Defence barrister David Jones told the court it was at this point Mr Ballard “changed his voice and became stern” before saying “unless you had something fu--ing to do with this”.

Mr Ballard told police he noticed “red flags” at the hospital and had the urge to say Ms Halcrow’s claims the boy was injured falling down stairs was a lie.

Mr Jones asked the grandfather about his comments to police on his doubts about what happened to Connor.

“You even wanted to say to her, to use your words, ‘I wanted to say to her, he didn’t fall down the fu--ing stairs’,” Mr Jones said.

Mr Ballard said that was his thought process at the time but said he was a believer in people being innocent until proven guilty, so didn’t take it further.

Two-year-old Connor Horan died in August, 2018 from multiple head and internal injuries

Mr Jones also questioned Mr Ballard on why he also encouraged Ms Halcrow to get rid of marijuana and a pipe he knew she had in her home.

“You said, ‘This looks like serious shit, Lisa, you don’t need any more charges. You better go home and get rid of your pipe’,” Mr Jones said.

“Why did you say that to her?”

Mr Ballard, who told the court he had memory issues following a PTSD diagnosis, said he did not know.

Ms Halcrow, 41, is charged with murder and grievous bodily harm, the latter charge relating to an allegation she burnt the then one-year-old boy with an iron in August 2017.

A committal hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for the matters to proceed to trial is in its second day in the Warwick court.

Ms Halcrow, who has been remanded in custody since her arrest in February last year, has quietly watched proceedings from the Warwick dock over the past two days.

Magistrate Julian Noud is expected to hand down his decision today.