A baby boy will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life after allegedly being violently shaken by his mother’s boyfriend.
According to the Daily Telegraph a 25-year-old man appeared in Blacktown Local Court today charged with the abuse of the 13-month-old toddler and dealing ice.
It is understood the boy was rushed to hospital on February 20 after suffering severe head injuries and bruising to his tiny body.
The child’s mother was reportedly at court today supporting the man accused of the abuse.
Police say the child the not only suffered severe brain injuries but also cardiac arrest following the incident.
According to the Daily Telegraph the boy – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – had only started to walk just two weeks before the assault but a family friend of the boy’s biological father said the child will “never walk again”.
“He’s in a wheelchair,” the woman said. “He’s actually with a carer and he will be with his dad soon and his sister.”
The woman added: “He’s doing a lot better than what he was. He’s smiling and starting to eat little things like bikkies.”
Child Abuse Squad detectives reportedly arrested the man during a vehicle stop near Sydney’s Hills District.
They also obtained a search warrant and swept the man’s home where they allegedly seized drugs and stolen goods.
The man was formally refused bail on Wednesday and is scheduled to reappear in Penrith court on September 4.
Earlier this year an inquest into death of a baby who was killed in 2009 after a suspected violent shaking incident caused Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott to recommend police attend emergency calls where babies have to be resuscitated.
