Woman Charged With Baby’s Manslaughter

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29746, 13 February 1962, Page 14

Woman Charged With Baby’s Manslaughter

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Feb. 12.

A young mother is on trial in the Supreme Court at Wellington on charges of causing the death of her baby by ill-treating it and for ill-treating an older child Mr Justice Hutchison is on the Bench.

Mauretania Patricia Rene Crompton, aged 22, married, is charged with the manslaughter of Elsie Elaine Crompton. with assaulting the child so as to cause actual bodily harm, and with wilfully ill-treating it She is charged with wilfully illtreating Moana Doreen Crompton. The assistant Crown Prosecutor. Mr J. D. Murray, said the girls were born on May 3. 1960, and September 5. 1961 The younger died on November 4, 1961. in the Wellington Hospital The baby who died was in good health when born and when taken home on September 25. When three weeks old it was admitted to the hospital with a swelling on the head. An operation revealed a fracture above the left ear. It was treated and discharged on October 9 On November 2 the baby was admitted again. It was anaemic, drowsy, had a high temperature and a grossly distended fontanel Pus was discharging from an ear. It appeared to benefit trotr treatment but on November 4 was deeply unconscious and notwithstanding further treatment died that day. ,

A post-mortem examination showed that there had been 15 fractures of the ribs, which were healing. A pathologist concluded that they had been caused at a time when the baby was out of the hospital and could have been caused only by severe violence and not accidentally. Meningitis had caused the baby’s death, but a head injury had begun a chain of troubles that had led to meningitis. To a detective who interviewed accused she first said she could not account for the baby’s injuries but they might have been caused when she had a fall before it was born or by her putting it down too hard on a bed when she got up half asleep to feed it. or bysqueezing its stomach to bring up wind At a subsequent interview she admitted to the detective that she had not treated the baby as she should have. Her temper had got the better of her when either of the children had screamed. She had said she had not had a happy childhood herself, had Lot received love from those who had brought her up. and seemed unable to give it to "her own children. Her husband’s attitude had made her jealous of her children.

“I got that way that I always took it out on my babies.” she said, although she had wanted the babies more than anything else.

She was always sorry

after but she still just could not help herself. The elder child was admitted to hospital in 1960 with a skull fracture, which was treated and she improved. In January, 1961, she was in hospital again with a subdural effusion and was discharged in February. Again in April she was admitted, it being thought she was epileptic.

In June, July and August. 1960. a general practitioner visited accused at her Island Bay flat on account of Moana and talked over her problems with her.

Neighbours would give evidence of the ill-treatment of Moana and of the mother frequently losing her temper with the child. A woman had seen her throw the child into its cot on several occasions and had had several discussions with her about it

A man would say he had seen her give the child a “terrible hiding,” and had seen her grab its mouth and force it shut when it was screaming. He had been so concerned that he had taken the baby from her and nursed it himself. A child welfare officer had visited Crompton several times about Moana’s injuries and had warned both parents •hat a repetition would result in police inquiries Moana had been put in a receiving home.

The hearing will continue imorrow.