The timing of the head injuries suffered by a 17-month-old toddler was difficult to determine as the damage could have developed over a period, a consultant forensic pathologist has told Christchurch District Court.
The consultant was called by the defence to give his opinions on the head injuries suffered by the toddler in October 2006, who the crown says was shaken and slammed against a padded surface, Christchurch Court News website reported.
The 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.
On the fifth day of the trial today, Professor James Ferris said it was a reasonable conclusion there was some impact on the girl, but without a witness to the initial injury it was hard to tell how much force was involved or how severe the injury was.
He said no one could look at the end stage of this cascade - the amount of brain damage suffered - and say it represented what happened at the beginning.
He acknowledged there had to have been some force to cause the swelling of the brain, but said timing of the injury was extremely difficult, and the process of the changes in her brain could have taken some time.
By the time she reached Starship Hospital in Auckland, changes had had two days or more to develop.
Children could suffer severe damage as a result of a minor fall. It was rare but it did occur, he told the jury.
He said there was no satisfactory way to explain how retinal haemorrhages occurred. They were frequently associated with head injuries, but some cases were accidental.
He said they were more likely to be associated with non-accidental head injuries but agreed that he was not an expert in this field.
The only evidence of impact damage to the toddler's head was on her jaw but it was impossible to correlate the size of the bruise with the impact involved, he said.
The bruises on the toddler were not typical of accidental bruises on a child. He said if he had dealt with this case he would call the bruises suspicious and would be looking for an adequate explanation.
The trial before Judge Brian Callaghan is expected to last all week.
The names of the man, the child, her mother and grandmother have all been suppressed.
