A neuropathologist says Ariah Roberts' injuries could have been caused by her head hitting a wall if she had been let go while someone was swinging her around.
Aaron Archer, 31, has pleaded not guilty to killing his then girlfriend's two-year-old daughter in Mangawhai Heads in 2018.
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Archer says the toddler's death was an accident.
The Crown prosecutor says Archer told Ariah's mother that he was swinging her around when she hit her head, but later said he was flinging Ariah into the air and she slipped and hit the roof.
There are no recognised neuropathologists in New Zealand so Professor Colin Smith was called to give evidence from Scotland, via audio-visual link.
He says Ariah Roberts' death was caused by a catastrophic head injury, similar to what he has seen caused by serious traffic accidents or falls from a height of at least 10 metres.
Prof Smith says the force involved in throwing an infant playfully towards the roof is not enough to have caused the injury, but he has seen it caused by a child being swung towards a wall.
"To my mind, that is going to generate very significant levels of force. Not dissimilar to if you intentionally swing a head towards the wall."
The Crown will continue to call witnesses on Wednesday.
Newshub.
