News

Partners "drew up document" to blame childminder for baby's injuries

By Julie Spencer
September 11, 2012

The mother of a baby whose legs were broken colluded with her boyfriend to lay the blame on her childminder, a court heard.

The 22-year-old mother, from Warfield, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and her partner drew up a document, claiming the child had received cuts and bruises while in the care of the childminder, a jury was told.

The pair handed the document to police two weeks after the baby underwent surgery for multiple fractures including two in her left thigh, one in her left shin and another in her right shin.

At Reading Crown Court, sitting at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Ian Hope, prosecuting, put it to the woman that they had tried to keep themselves out of trouble.

He said: "You both got together and discussed how you would try and blame your childminder and that was how the document was created."

The couple are both charged with one count of cruelty to the child through willful neglect.

The 28-year-old Bracknell man is charged with one count of GBH with intent and another of GBH without intent.

Earlier, the man, who is not the child's biological father, denied injuring the seven-month-old child as he changed her nappy on February 28 last year.

He told the court the child was screaming and he noticed her leg clicked as he changed her nappy but said she slept through the night.

The multiple fractures were discovered the next day after the mother took the child to see a health visitor.

The baby was taken to Frimley Park hospital and then to a specialist centre in Southampton. Medical experts said her injuries were "highly indicative" of non-accidental injuries.

The trial continues.