Baby bounces back from 'callous' abuse

A Nelson baby has been given a second chance at life and is thriving after "callous" abuse by his parents, police say.

The parents were found guilty by a Nelson District Court jury this week of hurting the baby, before and after he was taken to Nelson Hospital last year, when he was just weeks old.

Authorities are now tightening systems to prevent children in hospital care being abused.

A report, ordered after the Nelson baby was injured, is due out in three weeks.

Detective Sergeant Mark Kaveney said the boy was now living out of town in foster care with his wider family, and was thriving after a "tough start".

"He was fighting for his life from the word go, basically, and he survived. [Now] he's got another chance to live."

Mr Kaveney said he believed if the situation had been left as it was, the boy would not have survived.

After 14 hours of deliberations, the jury found the child's mother, 19, and father, 25, guilty of one charge of assaulting the baby, relating to bruising on his pubic bone, and two charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to two broken arms he suffered - one of which was inflicted after he was admitted to hospital in June last year.

The father was also found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by inducing the mother's brother to make a false confession.

The woman had already admitted that charge.

They were acquitted of a further charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to 28 rib fractures, and of assaulting the child, relating to bruising on his fingernails.

The jury took another two hours to reach its verdicts on a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to injure, which also related to the rib fractures.

At 2.30pm yesterday, it found the father guilty and acquitted the mother.

The pair, who are no longer in a relationship, have interim name suppression and have been remanded in custody to February 14 for sentencing.

- NZPA