Young Top End mum filmed suffocation assault on eight-month-old baby in an ‘inexplicable’ bid for attention

A Northern Territory judge has described the ‘distressing’ video of an eight-month-old baby struggling to breathe as a young mother blocked her child’s mouth and nose. WARNING: DISTRESSING

A 23-year-old Top End woman — whose name has been suppressed — was sentenced by Darwin Local Court Judge Therese Austin after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and choking her baby.

A young mother has pleaded guilty to attempting to suffocate her sleeping eight-month-old baby in an ‘inexplicable’ bid for attention.

On Friday the 23-year-old Top End woman — whose name has been suppressed — was sentenced by Darwin Local Court Judge Therese Austin after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and choking her baby.

The court heard that after her ex-partner was abusive towards her, the young woman filmed herself pinching her child’s nose and covering their mouth.

Ms Austin said the “concerning” video showed the sleeping baby looking distressed and clearly struggling to breathe as its airways were blocked.

“She really did put her baby in serious danger when she … applied pressure and force to the baby’s face and it interfered with the baby’s breathing,” Ms Austin said.

She said the child’s movements showed they were “clearly not happy with what was going on”.

“When the baby was distressed she stopped what she was doing — but then she went back again and reapplied pressure,” Ms Austin said.

After attempting to suffocate her child, Ms Austin said the young mother then made the “inexplicable” decision to post the video of her baby’s assault to Facebook “to get his attention”.

Ms Austin said while the baby did not suffer any ongoing harm, the mother’s actions were “dangerous” and “quite abhorrent”.

However the judge highlighted the young mother had no criminal history, and therefore it was “imperative” the courts focused on intervention and support to ensure she never reoffended again.

“There is a community expectation that children in the care of their parents should be the safest that they can possibly be,” she said.

“But sometimes that doesn’t happen, of course and parents do need support to meet the optimum care.”

Since the assault, Ms Austin said the young woman had accessed extensive ‘wrap around’ support services while staying at Open House, a supported bail accommodation service.

Ms Austen said following the support and counselling, “she is somebody who is now able to have a great deal of insight into the very, very serious conduct that she engaged in with her very young baby”.

The woman was sentenced to an eight month intensive community corrections order, which included a good behaviour order, probation and parole supervision, counselling and treatment orders.

Ms Austin said if she complied with her domestic violence order, and work with the Department of Children and Families there may be a path where she could reunite with her baby, who was currently being cared for by other family members.

“She will and should have as much support as possible to make sure she successfully completes her sentence in the community,” she said.