KEY POINTS:
A baby who allegedly suffered a serious assault at the hands of his parents has been left brain damaged.
Police have charged a 30-year-old man and his 21-year-old partner with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and failing to supply the necessaries of life, after the incident at their home in Motueka, near Nelson.
The assault allegedly took place on or about Labour Day, and the baby boy was taken to Nelson Hospital the same day with a fractured skull, before being flown to the Starship hospital in Auckland in a critical condition.
Last month, Detective Sergeant Kevin Tiernan told the Weekend Herald the boy's injuries were consistent with the child being banged against an object and "probably more than that, in terms of shaking or something like that. The severity of it confirms that it's non-accidental."
During their investigation, police expressed frustration at the lack of information coming forward from the family of the boy.
They would not reveal what led to the charges against the parents, who were due to appear in court yesterday.
The boy has been removed from the couple's care by Child, Youth and Family, as has a 13-month-old child who had also been in their care.
