Adelaide parents Michael Fidge and Samantha Bennett standing trial for alleged criminal neglect of four month old son

A court has heard Lyell McEwin Hospital doctors discovered the badly bruised four-month-old had suffered more than 10 fractures.

The parents of an infant boy, who was found with alleged horrific injuries, put forward a “nonsense” story to police, a court has heard.

Samantha Claire Bennett, 37, of Flagstaff Hill, and Michael Steven Fidge, 27, of Thompson Beach, are standing trial in the District Court this week after pleading not guilty to criminal neglect.

Jim Pearce KC, for the prosecution, told the District Court in his opening that the couple’s four month old son presented to the Lyell McEwin Hospital on April 13, 2021.

He was examined by doctors, who found he had a number of injuries, including multiple bruises all over his body.

The boy was sent off for X-rays and CTs, revealing 16 injuries.

The court heard the boy had eight fractures to his legs, three rib fractures, as well as fractures to the humerus and cartilage where the rib attaches to the sternum.

Michael Fidge and Samantha Bennett are standing trial for criminal neglect. Picture: Facebook

Some of the fractures were recent, while others were older and showed signs of healing.

“On the prosecution case someone caused these injuries, they were inflicted injuries,” Mr Pearce said.

“They (the leg fractures) were caused by somebody pulling and twisting (the boy) by the legs and the fracture to the humerus was caused by someone pulling and twisting (the boy).”

Mr Pearce said another telltale sign that the boy didn’t suffer the injuries by accident was that he seemed to have subconjunctival haemorrhages – little areas of bleeding under the membrane that covers the whites of the eyes.

The court heard the jury would hear from medical experts that this bleeding can arise when there is direct trauma, such as the head hitting an object.

“Another possible cause for that sort of bleeding over the eyes is where someone has grabbed (the boy) around the upper neck or jaw, resulting in increased pressure to the vessels in the head and neck … causing those vessels to rupture,” Mr Pearce said.

The court heard the couple both claimed to have no knowledge of what caused the injuries.

“Neither claim to have seen any sign of their four month old son being in pain to the lead up to his hospitalisation,” Mr Pearce said.

The court heard Ms Bennett said her son was only out of her care for short periods of time, such as when she was in the shower, which is when Mr Fidge would look after him.

The couple told police their son had been “grizzly” in the lead up to hospitalisation but thought he might have been teething.

The court heard the couple floated the idea that their son’s two year old older brother may have caused the injuries to his left leg, with Ms Bennett saying he “fell on them” while she was holding the alleged victim in bed.

“It was on the prosecution case, a nonsense story put forward,” Mr Pearce said.

The trial, before a jury, continues.