Toddler D'shun Dill's stepmother yesterday told a Supreme Court jury she lied to Police about his beatings out of revenge, jealousy and fear.

Ronda Darrell's assertion came during the Supreme Court trial of her husband, alleged child killer Paul Christian Darrell.

Darrell, of Hamilton Parish, has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully killing his two-year-old son on December 14, 1994. The trial comes after a Coroner's Inquest last February.

The seven-man, five-woman jury heard that Mrs. Darrell told Police in a December 16, 1994 statement that Darrell would become "furious'' when D'shun would not eat his food and he would hit or kick D'shun.

She told Police that if D'shun would not respond to Darrell, he would kick the child harder.

"D'shun would just stand there and take the licks,'' Mrs. Darrell told Police. "On occasions I had to intervene.'' In her statement she said Darrell would forget that he was an adult and that D'shun was a child.

And Mrs. Darrell -- who admitted "verbally disciplining'' the youngster -- told Police she had witnessed Darrell beating the child on several occasions.

But on the witness stand yesterday, Mrs. Darrell said she did not remember making any of the statements and added that "quite a bit'' of her statements to Police -- made on three separate occasions -- were not true.

She said she did not remember telling Police that in November 1994 when she questioned Darrell about how two wooden spoons got broken, he said he had hit D'shun with them.

Mrs. Darrell also said she did not recall stating that the next day D'shun's bottom was so swollen, she had to apply ointment on it.

And she said she did not recall telling Police that Darrell, on the day of D'shun's death, told her he had placed D'shun in a cold bath and the child began to vomit and his eyes rolled back in his head.

But Mrs. Darrell said it was true that Darrell would get "mad'' that D'shun wouldn't eat his food and that he would yell to the child "come on, eat''.

She also said her statement to Police about D'shun displaying facial expressions as if he wanted to cry was correct, but she claimed that the child was just reacting to Darrell's harsh voice.

Mrs. Darrell denied suggestions that she married Darrell in May of 1995 to protect him, hoping she would not have to testify against him.

She claimed that she was frightened at the time she was making her three Police statements.

"They asked me a whole lot of questions,'' Mrs. Darrell said of her first Police statement. "They said they would point the finger at me. I was upset that evening.

"I don't remember that night. It was a nightmare. I don't remember what I said. ..I've been living a nightmare ever since D'shun died.'' But she did admit that she had spoken with a lawyer since making the Police statements and that the lawyer advised her that she did not have to speak to the Crown counsel about the case.

Under cross-examination by Darrell's lawyer Mark Pettingill, Mrs. Darrell denied hitting D'shun on his legs, claiming she hit him once on his behind.

Stepmother says she lied in statements to Police "It's a mistake,'' she said of her statement to Police. "I said his leg instead of saying his Pamper.'' Mrs. Darrell, however, admitted that "99.9 percent'' of her statements to Police were incorrect and another "99.9 percent'' of her statements were lies about Darrell.

She claimed that she when she made the statements she was angry with Darrell and jealous of D'shun's mother.

"I said those things to hurt Paul 'cause I was angry,'' she said.

After instructing the jury that Mrs. Darrell was a hostile witness Puisne Judge Richard Ground said her Police statements could not be held as evidence.

But he added that Mrs. Darrell's testimony could also be rejected by the jury, if they chose to.

Mary Basden of the Physical Abuse shelter, where D'shun and his mother lived for a month prior to moving in with his father, told the court that the child left the shelter in good health.

Ms Basden said she observed D'shun on one occasion while he was taking a bath and noted only one scar on his right rib.

But she said she "checked out'' the bruise to make sure that it was not a fresh one.

And Ms Basden said when D'shun left the shelter with his father on November 15, he did not have any of the bruises or injuries displayed in photographs of D'shun's body the day he died.

The trial continues today.