DISRUPTIVE CONTENT WARNING: Outrage as convicted domestic violence perpetrator cracks baby’s skull with glass bottle on her first birthday after being spared from jail
- Man charged with crushing baby’s skull with glass bottle
- He received a suspended sentence for domestic violence
- Both parents were drinking on the child’s birthday when it happened
A convicted domestic violence offender who was released on probation allegedly hit a baby with a glass bottle during her first birthday party, fracturing her skull.
The year-old from the outback town of Tennant Creek, in the Northern Territory, remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery following the attack 12 days ago.
On May 28, just before 9 p.m., a 26-year-old man allegedly threw a glass bottle that hit the baby’s head.
A baby girl was rushed to hospital with a skull fracture after being hit on the head with a glass bottle by a convicted domestic violence perpetrator on May 28 during her first birthday party (Photo: Tennant Creek Police Station)
The Royal Flying Doctor Service was called to fly the child to Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital, accompanied by her grandmother, as her parents were declared unfit to fly due to drunkenness.
On Thursday, NT police confirmed that the child has remained in hospital in Adelaide and is receiving ongoing medical treatment, but is in a stable condition.
The day after the attack, police charged the 26-year-old man with aggravated assault, unlawful infliction of serious harm and reckless endangerment of serious harm.
Police will claim he was drunk when he hit the child with a “stupid weapon” in the remote community 300 miles north of Alice Springs.
The case was briefly mentioned last week in Alice Springs local court, where it was revealed that the alleged misdemeanor put him in breach of his suspended sentence.
According to court documents, the man was serving a suspended sentence for breaking his partner’s jaw in a drunken assault in May 2021, after a night of rum and knocking down Jim Beam. The Australian reported.
According to the documents, he hit his children’s mother with a closed fist in a “backhand swing” while he was in bed.
In February 2022, he pleaded guilty to unlawfully causing serious harm and received a fully suspended sentence of two years and three months.
During sentencing, Judge Stephen Southwood said the offense carried a maximum sentence of 14 years, but decided to suspend his sentence entirely because of his relative youth, guilty plea and because he was participating in counseling.
Police will claim the 26-year-old was drunk when he hit the child with a “stupid weapon” in the remote community 500km north of Alice Springs.
“It is clear that the perpetrator is genuinely remorseful and this is the first violent crime he has ever committed,” said Judge Southwood.
“He has no predisposition to domestic violence … In my opinion, given what the court has said, he has good prospects for rehabilitation.”
At the time, his partner was expecting a child and the judge noted that it would be difficult for her to visit him in prison due to the Covid restrictions in place at the time.
At his sentencing, Judge Southwood acknowledged that the man had problems with alcohol and so the condition of his suspended sentence was that he abstain from alcohol.
“If you commit another crime of domestic violence, in addition to the sentence imposed on you for that crime, I will pay back the two years and three months in full and you will serve that time in prison,” Judge Southwood said during his sentencing.
The 26-year-old remains in custody. He must appear in court on July 20.