Father Charged Over Babys Death

Father charged over baby’s death December 11, 2006 A FATHER charged with murdering his baby boy admitted he "may have hit him too hard" and "felt guilty", police allege. The 33-year-old Parramatta man said his 11-week-old baby had been constantly crying one morning in March so he went to pick him up, police say. The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly told police he failed to support his son's head when lifting him and "patted him very hard" in an attempt to pacify him. Then the baby's crying changed, his breathing became abnormal, and his body went soft. The boy's parents took him to hospital, where he was revived after suffering a heart attack. Tests showed the baby also had a fractured skull, two fractured ribs and brain haemorrhages, a police document tendered in Parramatta Local Court yesterday said. He was believed to have had severe brain damage and was expected to remain in a vegetative state, the document says. Medical experts said the boy suffered from "shaken baby syndrome" and the father's version was inconsistent with the baby's injuries. The police document quoted Dr Christine Norrie as saying the boy "suffered from a shaking episode with impact of sufficient force to cause a skull fracture and brain injury". The Department of Community Services assumed custody of the boy who was initially given a tube to allow nurses to clear his airways. This was later removed and he was moved to palliative care with orders not to revive him. He later developed pneumonia. He died on August 31, aged almost eight months. The man's lawyer, Peter Krisenthal, said if the case was proved his client would be convicted of manslaughter, not murder. He was refused bail and will reappear in court today. Geesche Jacobsen