A FATHER accused of ignoring his son’s pain and suffering broke down in court today as the little boy’s injuries were listed to him.

Yousef Ali Ege, 38, insisted he knew nothing about seven-year-old Yaseen being hurt and denied he had loved his wife so much that he turned a blind eye to her beating him.

He was being questioned at Cardiff Crown Court, where his wife denies murder and he denies failing to protect their son, when the judge, Mr Justice Royce, ordered a 15 minute adjournment in the proceedings for him to compose himself.

Ege had sat down in the witness box with his head in his hands after telling the QC: “Sir, I did not know anything about these injuries”.

Sara Ege, 32, the wife he married in 2000 in a ceremony arranged by their families, is accused of repeatedly beating their little boy before eventually causing fatal abdominal injuries in July 2010.

Having confessed in the weeks after Yaseen was rescued by firefighters from their home in Severn Road, Canton, only for it to be discovered he had not died in the blaze, she later accused her husband of attacking the child and said he forced her to take the blame.

Yousef Ege told the jury:”I never touched him”.

Peter Murphy, beginning his cross examination, said:”I am not suggesting you were responsible for the injuries on July 12 or before [when he had suffered fractures to a wrist, finger and four ribs].

“The purpose of my questions is to consider your position if the jury is satisfied that Yaseen died through an unlawful act by his mother.”

Ege agreed when it was put to him: “You loved your wife very much and thought she was a good and special wife, didn’t you?

“But it was your duty to protect your son no matter how much you loved her”, Mr Murphy said.

Listing the catalogue of injuries, he asked how Ege could not have noticed as school teachers had, that the primary school pupil was “in obvious pain”, “having difficulty sitting down” and “walking like an old man”.

Ege, who at the time was a postman and part time taxi driver said: “Sara looked after him from day one and I was always in work.

“She ….the teachers…. no one told me. Yaseen never complained he was in pain. I thought my son died in the fire. I knew nothing until I was in the police station.”

Mr Murphy alleged:”You knew and tolerated it through love and loyalty to her.”

“That is totally wrong. I loved my son to bits”, Ege told him.

(proceeding)