A father who shook his baby son so violently the infant was left ‘floppy’, ‘purple’ and with a fractured skull has walked out of court a free man, and has retained custody of his child.
The Queensland family called paramedics just one month after taking their prematurely-born son home from hospital, The Sunshine Coast Daily reported.
He was struggling to breathe, and though his mother told doctors at the hospital he had simply choked on his own vomit, doctors ruled his injuries ‘non-accidental’.
The baby boy had suffered fractures throughout his body, including to his skull, as well as facial bruising.
An infant boy was shaken and squeezed by his father, leaving him with grievous injuries (stock image)
Doctors also found the child had tears and stretches to his brain nerve cells. They concluded his father had shaken him just 24 hours before he was hospitalised, and a week before that, had squeezed him, causing many of the fractures.
In June 2012 the infant was placed in the custody of his grandmother, despite repeated denials from the infant’s mother and father to police that anything sinister had occurred.
The Department of Child Safety had relieved itself of concern by December 2013, and the boy was returned to his parents.
Just four months later, the infant’s mother and father were charged over his injuries – though he was not removed from the family home.
After just 18 months, the child was returned to the man’s care, and continues to be in his care even though the father pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and to grievous bodily harm (stock image)
And even though both mother and father pleaded guilty to their charges when they faced Maroochydore District Court on Thursday – her to cruelty to a child under 16 and him to assault occasioning bodily harm and to grievous bodily harm – the child remained in their care.
The young boy’s horrific injuries did not cause any lasting physical damage.
Judge John Robertson admitted sentencing the pair was ‘difficult’ as any prison sentence imposed on the mother and father would impact the young boy.
The father, who was assessed by a psychologist as being impacted by a ‘dysfunctional upbringing’ but at a low risk of reoffending, was given three years probation for the assault and a four-year suspended prison sentence for the grievous bodily harm.
The mother was handed a one-year good behaviour bond.
The young boy’s horrific injuries did not cause any lasting physical damage (stock image)