Cairns father pleads not guilty to critically injuring infant son

A four-month-old Cairns baby boy would have died without surgery after his father allegedly damaged his brain by violently shaking him, a court has heard. He has pleaded not guilty.

Cairns police headquarters on Sheridan Street. Picture: Brendan Radke / File

A four-month-old Cairns baby boy would have died without surgery after his father allegedly damaged his brain by violently shaking him, a court has heard.

The boy’s father has pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm with the trial starting on Monday in Cairns District Court and court closed at times with children giving evidence.

Senior crown prosecutor Aaron Dunkerton said it was alleged the man caused grievous bodily harm to the infant by shaking him, or causing an impact to him, or a combination of both.

The father was alone with the infant and another boy in September, 2022.

When female family members returned to the home and found the child unresponsive, they called triple-0.

He was transferred from Cairns to Townsville and then to Brisbane for surgery.

Brisbane Children’s Hospital neurosurgeon Dr James Lee told the court the child had a subdural haematoma pressing against brain tissue, with the brain becoming distorted and no longer able to sustain itself with oxygen and nutrients.

The trial is being heard in Cairns District Court. Picture: Brendan Radke

He said the boy had an expanding intracranial haematoma with pressure increasing to a dangerous level.

“Without surgery, he would have died,” Dr Lee said.

“If left unchecked, the brain becomes starved of oxygen, begins to die off, and the child succumbs to the injury.”

Defence barrister Kelly Goodwin asked if Dr Lee could indicate the amount of force needed to cause such an injury and if, because a child’s skull was not properly formed, it would take less force.

“No, it takes more force, the skull is not fully formed and counterintuitively the skull has a degree of plasticity and may be less prone to injury given direct force,” Dr Lee said.

He said it was plausible the injury could have been caused by a drop from adult height.

Ophthalmologist Dr Alfred William Talbot, a visiting medical officer at Townsville Hospital for 20 years, told the court he examined the child after he was transferred from Cairns, checking his eye to see if there was potential trauma.

Family members called triple-0 after finding the baby unresponsive. Picture: Brendan Radke.

“There was evidence of bleeding at the back of the eye in numerous layers of the retina, fairly extensive in nature … significant bleeding inside both eyes.”

He said this was usually indicative of significant force on an unrestrained head “along the lines of a whiplash injury as may occur when a baby is shaken”.

Mr Goodwin asked if the injury could have been caused by the baby falling out of bed.

“Absolutely not,” Dr Talbot replied.

Mr Goodwin asked if it could be caused by an adult dropping the child, and Dr Talbot said not from a passive fall, there would have to be an accelerating force as well as gravity.

He said the injuries were wholly consistent with shaking.

“Young children, the head is quite heavy compared to the strength of the neck, they are particularly vulnerable to that sort of injury, they can’t defend themselves against a shaking type injury,” Dr Talbot said.

He said the damage to the child’s vision would not be fully known until he was older.

“Bleeding in the eye and in the head, often these things go together, such that a bleed inside the eyes, the same forces are experienced in the eyeball as the brain experiences, both are in the head cavity and the injuries go together, as I believe was the case with this child,” he said.

The trial before Judge Tracy Fantin continues.

Originally published as Cairns father pleads not guilty to critically injuring infant son