A man accused of placing a baby in a tumble dryer and switching it on claimed he was “just joking” about.
Thomas Dunn denies endangering the life of the baby at an address in Arbroath over a two-week period.
In a police interview tape played at Dundee Sheriff Court on Friday on the fifth day of the trial, Dunn says he acknowledges the action was wrong.
But the 25-year-old claimed he never “intentionally” meant to endanger the child.
During interrogation by detectives, he said: “It wasn’t like I deliberately turned it on. I was just joking with her.
“I was not doing anything intentionally to hurt the child. I was pretending to close the door.
“As soon as the tumble dryer went on, I noticed. It was not like the door was actually shut.
“It was not like she was squashed in. It was assisted. I know that’s wrong. I was just mucking about.
“She was crying. I sat on the floor and gave her a cuddle then gave her to her mum.”
It is alleged that between December 18, 2017 and January 8 2018, at an address in Arbroath Dunn assaulted the girl, then aged 13 months.
Prosecutors allege that he placed the tot in a tumble dryer and closed the door, causing the machine to activate and the inner drum to rotate to the girl’s severe injury and the danger of her life.
A final charge claims he again assaulted the girl to her severe injury and the danger of her life on January 8, 2018.
Dunn, of St Ninians Place in Brechin, is said to have repeatedly struck her on the head and body, repeatedly struck her against an unknown object or objects and bit her on the arm.
At the close of the Crown case fiscal depute Nicola Gillespie withdrew an alleged third assault on the girl and a further charge of assaulting a young boy from birth to 33 months.
The trial earlier heard the 13-month-old girl was found to have suffered an indentation to her skull, brain dysfunction and bleeding between the skull and brain.
A surgeon giving evidence had said she had only narrowly avoided death from the injuries.
The trial, presided over by Sheriff Alastair Brown, continues.
