The baby boy who died after his teenage father brutally bashed him at Bunbury Regional Hospital had the worst brain injuries a neurologist had ever seen.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 16-year-old boy who attacked his one-month-old son, causing critical head injuries that later claimed the baby's life, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter on Monday in Perth Children’s Court.
He will be eligible for parole in five years.
The prematurely-born baby was assaulted by his father, who was 15 years old at the time, at Bunbury Regional Hospital on February 15, 2014 after the baby boy's mother went to heat up some food.
The baby was due to be discharged from the hospital two days later.
The baby was airlifted to Princess Margaret Hospital that night and was on life support for more than a week but died on February 24.
The teenager, who was a ward of the state at the time of the attack, sat in court with his hands covering his face throughout the sentencing. He broke down and sobbed when judge Denis Reynolds handed down the sentence.
"What you did to cause the fatal injuries to your son was cowardly and extreme," Judge Reynolds told the court.
"He was only 25 days old. He was dependent and totally defenceless.
"You removed the infant from the mobile cot into room 224 and deliberately struck his head on a hard surface with considerable force on two separate occasions.
"You deliberately used considerable force on at least two separate occasions to a defenceless and totally dependent 25-day-old baby, that caused severe brain trauma that resulted in his death."
The judge said neurologist Victoria Fabian, who provided medical evidence to the court, described the case as the most severe brain trauma she had ever seen.
A psychologist told the court the boy was jealous his girlfriend's attention had shifted from him to their newborn baby and saw the infant as a rival.
Shortly after the baby’s death, the mother's family spoke out about how the tragedy was able to unfold.
"We just want to know what happened and how it happened," the newborn's maternal grandfather said.
"I want to know how come that boy was allowed back in."
The teen father told police that he had hit the baby’s head on a hard surface as he tried to leave the room and pleaded guilty to manslaughter in court last month.
The baby was placed into the care of the Department for Child Protection following the attack, with department boss Terry Murphy responsible for decisions about his care as he fought for life in Princess Margaret Hospital on life support.
Defence lawyer Jim Sutherland said his client was exposed to an environment of violence and substance abuse at a young age.
"How does it come about that someone who is 17 in a couple of weeks, can find himself in this position," he said.
"He was vulnerable to the forces that shaped his life – he was exposed to an environment that saw him pick up the wrong signs."
Prosecution lawyer Matthew Walton said the deceased did not have a chance to extend his life beyond 33 days.
"An infant has lost his life at the hands of his father in a deliberate and violent act," he said.
"It's hard to think of a stronger bond than that of a parent and child...that has been shattered.
"This was not an accident, it was the result of a deliberate act."
The teenage boy's mother was in court to hear her son's sentence. She sobbed openly.
Outside the court she angrily blamed the Department of Child Protection for taking her son away from her.
"DCP took my son off me at 12... and there was no neglect there," she said. "Since then he got a criminal record and look where he is now.
"There was no duty of care with Bunbury hospital and he was supposed to be supervised and in a locked ward.
"He couldn't even look at us. None of us expected this.
"How did this happen?"