Parents blamed for child’s injuries

Press, 14 December 1977, Page 4

Parents blamed for child’s injuries

, PA Wellington j A child aged four J suffered a blood clot on l the brain as a result of i violence, the Crown al- | leged in the Wellington | Magistrate’s Court. Crown counsel, Mr K. I Toogood, was giving evij dence in the trial of a 33j year-old housewife, who ; has pleaded not guilty to i wilful neglect of the child I and wilfully permitting the child to be ill-treated. Her husband has been remanded without plea to Friday on charges of neglecting a child, assualting the child and wilfully illtreating it. Interim suppression of the names of the parties ; involved has been granted, i The trial of the mother Is 1 expected to last three i days. Mr Toogood said the child was examined by a doctor on its admission to hospital on April 28 and ■ that it had suffered bruis- . ing to the head, face and ■ feet.

Blood had accumulated beneath the skin on the back of the head. The child was discharged from hospital the next day. The injuries were attributed to the child's fighting with his younger brother and head-bashing, said Mr Toogood. On June 6, a doctor received an urgent call from the defendant and found the child lying unconscious on the floor of the lounge. The doctor called an ambulance after concluding the child was suffering head injuries. On admission to Wellington Hospital, the child was examined by a neurosurgeon who concluded that the child had suffered violence. The surgeon found a large bruise on the scrotum and penis, and a blood clot at the brain, he said. The clot was on the surface of the brain, on the left side, and onlv a few hours old.

The surgeon concluded that the child had suffered a severe trauma which was not self-inflicted, said Mr Toogood, adding that a fracture of the child’s arm was also discovered. Mr Toogood said the surgeon discussed the injuries with the defendant, but received no explanation as to the head injury. She said the child indulged in head-bashing. The child was now under the guardianship of the Director of Social Welfare. “Thankfully, the child has made a good recovery,” said Mr Toogood. Mr Graham Martin, a neurosurgeon, said he examined the child at Wellington Hospital at 8 p.m. on sjune 6 and his first impression was that he was seriously injured. “I had to get him to theatre as soon as possible to save his life or to prevent permanent injury,” he said.