A man and woman have appeared briefly in the Invercargill District Court today after a five-week-old baby was hospitalised with serious injuries.
The pair were not asked to make a plea to the charge of failing to provide the necessaries of life. or the alternative charge of ill-treatment/neglect of a child under 18 years.
They were granted interim name suppression.
Judge Bernadette Farnan remanded the case to February 19, ordering that the man and woman not consume alcohol and illicit drugs, and not participate in any violent actions.
They were also ordered not to make contact with another member of the woman's family.
The baby, which was five weeks old at the time, was hospitalised in October last year and flown to Auckland's Starship Hospital in a serious condition.
Invercargill police launched an investigation, as the baby's injuries were thought to be ''non-accidental,'' and officers began interviews with the family.
After months of inquiries, police said that a 32-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman would appear in the Invercargill court this afternoon.
Officers declined to comment further, saying the matter was now before the court.
The court was told the baby - now five months old - was in the care of Oranga Tamariki.
