A doctor believed injuries to a toddler brought to Christchurch Hospital were non-accidental, and referred the case to the police and Child, Youth and Family (CYF), a Christchurch District Court jury trial was told.
The senior medical officer of paediatrics, Dr James Hector-Taylor, told of the arrival of the 17-month-old girl on October 25, 2006.
He told Judge Brian Callaghan and a jury that the bruises on the toddler were in areas usually well protected, and would have to be caused by the application of unusual force or unusual contact.
He was told that the child had fallen out of bed, but his suspicion was that she had been gripped around the chest and either shaken, or shaken and slammed into something.
He said that the impact of a fall from bed was not sufficient for the head injuries and would not account for the bruising.
The child was deeply unconscious and non-reactive, and had to be operated on to relieve the pressure to her brain. She also had retinal haemorrhages, which was not common in accidental injury.
The 24-year-old partner of the child's mother denies a charge of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to the toddler, and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with reckless disregard for the girl's safety.
The names of the man, the child, her mother, and grandmother have all been suppressed.
Before today's sitting began, Judge Callaghan gave his ruling on legal arguments, which had been heard without the presence of the jury yesterday afternoon. The trial then continued.
It is scheduled to last five more days.
