A prosecution lawyer has attacked the adoption system that placed a three-year-old boy with a married couple who are accused of killing him.

Ian and Angela Gay of Halesowen, West Midlands, are accused of causing Christian Blewitt to collapse by feeding him the equivalent of 40 grams of salt and by shaking him or hitting his head because he failed to meet their expectations of family life.

Julie Macur QC told Worcester Crown Court that adoption officials had raised concerns when Ian Gay rang during a 13-week trial period prior to adoption asking if the child was "all there".

"Ultimately, the act that removed him from his natural family placed him with another family and that, the prosecution say, killed him," she said.

But Christian's former foster carer Mary Johnson told the trial earlier this week that she had been positive about the Gays and their intention to adopt.

Christian was admitted to Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley on 8 December 2002 suffering salt poisoning and brain injuries.

He was transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital and life support was withdrawn four days later. A post-mortem revealed 11 areas of bruising to the top of his head.

Christian, his younger brother and sister were placed with the couple by Sandwell Council social services on a 13-week trial in November 2002.

The couple deny the charges of murder, manslaughter and cruelty to a child. The case continues.