Canberra man ‘shoved tissues down baby’s throat to stop him crying’

Angry chef ‘shoved tissues down baby’s throat to stop him crying’ after offering to babysit for his girlfriend – leaving the infant ‘so distressed he turned purple’

  • Luke Paul Szabo allegedly stuffed tissues down baby’s throat to stop him crying 
  • When paramedics arrived, his lips and extremities were already turning purple
  • Szabo appeared in ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty 

A man allegedly stuffed a wad of tissues so far down a baby’s throat his lips and extremities turned purple because he was fed-up with listening to the baby cry.

Luke Paul Szabo, a chef and former pizza delivery driver, was babysitting his partner’s children, including her 11-month-old son, when he allegedly assaulted him.

Szabo appeared in ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm and choking the baby, the Canberra Star reported.

Prosecutor Anthony Williamson told the court paramedics who arrived on the scene minutes after the alleged incident found bruises and injuries on the little boy’s body which suggested he had been assaulted.  

Luke Paul Szabo (pictured), a chef and former pizza delivery driver, was babysitting his partner’s children, including her 11-month-old son, when he allegedly assaulted him

‘The accused committed this act in anger and frustration at the infant crying while he was in an irritable mood,’ Mr Williamson said.

The court heard Szabo ‘panicked’ and slammed the door on another of the children who came to help before asking her to find tweezers so that he could remove the packed wad of tissues from the baby’s mouth.

Prosecutors suggested Szabo’s defence would argue there were innocent explanations for the tissue in his throat and his other injuries.

But Mr Williamson said any explanations other than his were ‘fanciful’ and ‘far-fetched’.

The court heard Szabo 'panicked' and slammed the door on another of the children who came to help before asking her to find tweezers so that he could remove the packed wad of tissues from the baby's mouth

'The accused committed this act in anger and frustration at the infant crying while he was in an irritable mood,' the prosecutor said

The court heard Szabo ‘panicked’ and slammed the door on another of the children who came to help before asking her to find tweezers so that he could remove the packed wad of tissues from the baby’s mouth

Instead, he said there was ‘overwhelming and inescapable inference’ that Szabo was to blame. 

Greg Thompson, who lives nearby, told the court he visited the house and noticed Lincoln’s eyes were ‘bulging out of his head’.

Upon seeing the baby, he immediately assumed the worst and told the court he told police at the time at Szabo was ‘panicking… he was sh**ting himself’.     

The duo called emergency services and paramedics arrived within five minutes to take him to hospital.

He was purple around the lips and his extremities due to a lack of oxygen when they arrived, the court heard.

The trial continues. 

Prosecutors suggested Szabo's defence would argue there were innocent explanations for the tissue in the baby's throat and his other injuries

Prosecutors suggested Szabo’s defence would argue there were innocent explanations for the tissue in the baby’s throat and his other injuries



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk