A YOUNG father was today due to stand trial accused of the manslaughter of one of his children and the neglect of another.James Tuffs, of Forest Road, Onehouse, was charged following the death of one of his twins, Byron.

A YOUNG father was today due to stand trial accused of the manslaughter of one of his children and the neglect of another.

James Tuffs, of Forest Road, Onehouse, was charged following the death of one of his twins, Byron.

The 21-year-old is also facing claims of neglect in relation to the other boy, Tyrese, now nearly two years old.

Byron was certified dead at West Suffolk Hospital just before 10.15am on January 21, 2004. His brother Tyrese, who is now in local authority care, received hospital treatment around the same time.

Tuffs' crown court trial in Norwich was expected to open today and is due to run for three weeks, with the jury set to be sworn in from early this afternoon.

He has previously denied the charges at an earlier hearing at Ipswich Crown Court.

Tuffs, along with the mother of the twins, Zoe O'Leary, hit the headlines in September 2003 when the first of the boys, Tyrese, was delivered in Ipswich's Debenhams store.

Staff rushed to grab towels from the shelves to help with the birth, on the afternoon of September 4.

After having her first baby in the Cornhill store, Zoe was had the second in the back of an ambulance in the car park of Ipswich Hospital.

Afterwards, the couple praised the heroism of the staff who came to their aid.

Both babies were born prematurely at just 29 weeks and had to remain in Ipswich Hospital for the first two months of their lives.