A man who killed a 14-week-old baby whose skull ‘cracked like an egg’ can now be identified.
Surender Singh Mehrok, 21, was named after a court order was lifted on the ban revealing him as the man who murdered little Richard Royal Uddin in June 2016.
The baby boy was killed during an assault while Mehrok was babysitting at a house in Tauranga, New Zealand, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Little Richard Royal Uddin (pictured) was just 14-weeks-old when he was killed by his mother’s partner
He suffered a cracked skull and multiple fractures as evidence presented to the High Court in Tauranga revealed the boy had injuries similar to being in a high speed car crash.
Forensic teams presented the court with evidence claiming the boy hit a carpeted floor ‘with significant force’, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Mehrok previously admitted causing the baby’s death but denied intending to kill the boy and has launched an appeal against his life sentence.
But he must serve at least 14 and a half years of the life term after being found guilty by a jury in July 2017.
The judge, Justice Mary Peters, described the tragic death of baby Richard because he ‘was a lovely little baby’.
She said the injuries told a powerful story even though she accepted Mehrok – who was only 19 at the time – killed Richard unintentionally.
Scan images revealed the multiple fractures in baby Richard’s skull after he was killed by Surender Mehrok
But Justice Peters said he should have known assaulting the poor baby would potentially cause fatal injuries.
He was in a casual relationship with the little boy’s mother but was supposed to be looking after the baby on the night he killed him.
Richard’s mother said in a victim impact read to the court she was distraught she would never hear the boy tell him he loved her and hug together.
‘This is every parent’s dream, which as been taken away from me.’ she said.
Three medical experts and doctors testified during Mehrok’s trial in 2017 as he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to life in prison
‘I feel Richard has been wiped out of our lives…and I fear the way he died, he must have been in pain which no child of any age should experience.’
Images published by The Herald on Tuesday revealed the medical evidence jurors were shown as part of Mehrok’s trial last year.
CT scans showed dozens of fractures to Richard’s head and brain injuries across a 13cm by 9.5cm wound.
The evidence presented to the court was backed up by testimonies from three doctors who explained the trauma was from significant force hitting a hard surface with severe trauma injuries and swelling and bleeding to the brain.