Victorian father’s online search before newborn’s death has been revealed

A Victorian mother performed 12 minutes of CPR on her eight-week-old baby, giving her a chance to say a proper goodbye when she had to turn his life support off in the hospital.

Beside her as she tried to resuscitate her baby was her then-husband, the father of her three children, who has admitted killing his youngest son.

The then 32-year-old man shook his newborn, causing fatal brain damage. He has pleaded guilty to infanticide charges in the Victorian Supreme Court.

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“The person (my baby) should have trusted the most, the person who should have taken care of him and loved and protected him is the one who took him from this world,” his former wife said.

The man had been arrested and questioned while his son was in hospital and denied shaking him.

In the early hours of August 30, 2021, an MRI revealed the baby had suffered a catastrophic brain injury and his condition was incompatible with life.

His mother called his father and confronted him about shaking his son.

“After a long pause, the perpetrator said, ‘Yes, I did, but only a little,'” the prosecutor said.

“He broke my trust in this world”

He then called the police and admitted he did it — “not excessively, not harshly, but I shook him a bit”.

The mother told the court she sacrificed extra time with her son and turned off life support on August 31 to prevent the anniversary of his death from falling on Father’s Day.

“He broke me. He broke my trust in this world. He broke a part of me that will never be fixed,” she said.

Medical evidence revealed that the baby suffered multiple broken ribs in his short life. Chest X-rays taken at two and six weeks of age showed multiple fractures in various stages of healing.

When he was hospitalized in August 2021, he also had broken ribs, arms, legs and pelvis, as well as internal injuries.

The man’s attorney denies that these injuries will be used against him at the time he is sentenced, saying it is unknown how and when these injuries occurred and that they should not be attributed to him.

The court heard that the father’s primary care was for the newborn while his mother recovered from an emergency caesarean.

The infant had been taken to hospital with bruises when he was two weeks old and was taken by ambulance when he was six weeks old after his mother hit the father while the boy was bathing.

The baby was blue, limp and unresponsive but returned to normal in 15 minutes.

It was diagnosed as a brief resolved unexplained event.

During the boy’s short life, his father had searched things online including “how much do newborns remember”, “signs of brain damage in newborns” and “how long it can take for a newborn to choke”.

The hearing is ongoing.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT at 1800.737.732 or visit us 1800RESPECT.org.au.

Counseling and counseling for men concerned about their use of domestic violence: Referral service for men1300 766 491.

If you need help during a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For more information about depression, call beyondblue on 1300224636 or speak to your GP, local healthcare professional or someone you trust.