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An 18-month-old West Auckland toddler is in hospital with serious arm and leg injuries suffered on separate occasions and up to a month before medical treatment was sought.
The boy - who has had seven broken bones in his short life - was rushed to the Starship hospital on June 23 with a severely swollen thigh police say would have left him in excruciating pain.
X-rays showed that his left femur was broken and he also had a fractured right arm. The injuries were estimated to be two to four weeks old but no earlier medical attention had been sought.
Detective Sergeant Megan Goldie, from the West Auckland Child Abuse Team that is investigating the case, said the boy was living with his parents and three siblings when the recent injuries occurred.
"Every time he was dressed or moved he would have been in extreme pain," she said.
His siblings have now been placed in Child, Youth and Family care and his parents, who have been unable to explain how the injuries happened, have been told not to visit him while he recovers in hospital.
Ms Goldie said this was the second time he had been in hospital with serious injuries. The last time he was in the care of his mother's sister, her husband and their two young children.
His birth family also lived in the same house but did not look after him.
Both sets of adults were known to have extensive histories of domestic violence, with police being called to their homes on a number of occasions.
The boy's first injuries occurred in March 2006 when he was four months old. That time he had a spiral fracture- meaning the bone had twisted apart - to his left upper arm. It was up to 10 days old by the time he was taken to hospital.
Doctors also found four breaks on either side of his knees, often seen when babies have been shaken.
After his first spell in hospital his siblings, including those belonging to his birth and adoptive parents, were assessed for injuries. Nothing was found but all five were placed into Child, Youth and Family care while police investigated.
Ms Goldie said the boy's adoptive parents were unable to explain how the first lot of injuries had occurred. The adoptive mother was charged with cruelty and neglect for failing to get treatment for him.
In December 2006, once a number of parenting, drug and alcohol courses were completed, the children were returned to their respective parents.
The adoptive parents and their two children moved to South Auckland, while the boy and his family remained in West Auckland.
Ms Goldie said the birth parents had been unable to offer a satisfactory explanation for his injuries besides saying his older siblings were known to play roughly with him.
