After several weeks of delay, the manslaughter trial into the death of 15-month-old Nathaniel McLellan resumed Monday at the London courthouse. The court heard that shortly after the toddler was rushed to hospital with a serious head injury in October 2015, Strathroy-Caradoc Detective Constable Chris Haskett was dispatched to the home of the accused, Meggin Van Hoof. Haskett testified that he had been informed Nathaniel was believed to have fallen down a set of stairs and that his purpose was to speak with Van Hoof about the injured child.
Haskett told the court that Van Hoof later provided a different version of events, stating that Nathaniel had not fallen down the stairs but instead collapsed on a landing in the garage. The child died in hospital several days later. Police did not lay a manslaughter charge against 46-year-old Van Hoof, until several years after his death. Van Hoof has pleaded not guilty. The trial has faced multiple delays and is expected to continue into the spring.