Prison for teenager who beat up little son

A teenager who brutally and cowardly beat his three-week-old baby to death in a Bunbury hospital last year will spend at least five years behind bars.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was today sentenced to 10 years in prison by Perth Youth Court after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

The boy banged his baby’s head on a hard surface at least twice during the few minutes he spent alone with him at Bunbury Regional Hospital in February last year.

The President of the Youth Court, Judge Denis Reynolds, described the crime as “extremely cowardly”.

He said the level of remorse the young father showed was minimal.

“He (the child) was at your mercy,” Judge Reynolds said.

Judge Reynolds told the court he was surprised the boy’s contact with the child was not conditional or supervised.

The baby was supposed to leave the hospital two days before his death.

His father was alone in the room with him for three to ten minutes before he was attacked.

When his girlfriend returned, her baby was unconscious, pale, and had milk leaking from his mouth and nose.

During his sentencing hearing, prosecutor Matthew Walton said the teenager had been preoccupied with his own well-being and may have been jealous of the attention his girlfriend was giving their child.

Forensic officers arrive at Princess Margaret Hospital in February last year. Photo: Ben Crabtree/The West Australian

Mr Walton said the baby’s premature birth meant the family’s focus shifted from the father to the child.

“He was competing for attention and affection,” he said.

“This jealousy stemmed from a desire to divert attention away from himself.”

Neuropathologist Vicki Fabian said the baby’s head and brain injuries were the most severe she had ever seen in an infant.

Defence lawyer Jim Sutherland told the court that the child’s father was exposed to “harmful influences” while growing up.

He stated that the boy did not have the skills or maturity to deal with the situation he found himself in.

Mr Sullivan described the offence as opportunistic and impulsive.

The teenager was initially charged with murder, but prosecutors later accepted his guilty plea and moved to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

The child suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain and died nine days after being taken to Princess Margaret Hospital.

Outside the courtroom, the boy’s mother said her son should be supervised while she goes to the hospital to see her baby.

“My son is ashamed,” she said.

“He’s a lost minor. None of us expected this.”