Mother jailed for shaking baby

A Motueka woman has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for shaking her four-month-old baby, causing him serious brain damage.

Cassandra Albert, 22, pregnant with her second child, was sentenced in the Nelson District Court today, after she earlier admitted recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and one of failing to provide the necessaries of life.

She violently shook her baby Ralph in Motueka over Labour Weekend last year.

Ralph suffered serious non-accidental brain injuries that were described by paediatricians as being at the severe end of the scale but not vegetative.

They would lead to a shortened life with a significant number of difficulties requiring daily on-going professional support.

The baby's father and Albert's former partner, Newton Samuel Moki, 30, was also sentenced to 12 months' jail after earlier admitting to failing to provide the necessaries of life.

Moki was also sentenced on an unrelated seventh drink driving charge, bringing his cumulative prison term to 22 months.

Crown prosecutor Hugh Boyd-Wilson said Ralph was the most vulnerable of victims and had received his injuries from the one person he should have been able to trust most, his mother.

Although Albert had admitted causing the injury to Ralph, Mr Boyd-Wilson said both she and Moki should be held equally culpable in not seeking medical help for the seriously injured baby until around 10 hours later.

The baby had been obviously unwell and his symptoms, including unresponsiveness, profuse sweating, shallow breathing and repeated seizures that presented as twitching.

Ralph was admitted to Nelson Hospital before being transferred to Auckland's Starship Children's' Hospital.

It was accepted the delay in medical attention had contributed to the serious extent of his brain injury.

Albert's lawyer John Sandston said his client felt she had been suffering post natal depression and was sleep deprived.

She had shaken Ralph for one to two seconds only and was not aware of the damage she had caused as a result.

"This was a young mother who had not slept and was not getting support, and she snapped in a moment of madness," Mr Sandston said.

Albert was deeply ashamed and sorry because of what she had done to Ralph, she said in a statement.

Moki's lawyer Rob Harrison said the only incident his client had been aware of had been when Albert had accidentally dropped Ralph, after tripping, two days before.

In sentencing Albert on the grievous bodily harm charge, Judge Tony Zohrab said the sentence had to reflect that Ralph was particularly vulnerable, that she was his mother and that there had been a great breach of trust.

It also had to take into account that she, knowing she had shaken Ralph and observing his symptoms throughout the day, had not sought help sooner.

Moki, on the other hand, had failed to appreciate the seriousness of the situation, he said.

- NZPA