A 56-year-old woman accused of assaulting a baby was scheduled to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article contains distressing content.
A mother was pushing her four-week-old baby in a pram when a woman allegedly grabbed the child and threw him to the ground.
The 56-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with one count of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm over the distressing allegations.
An ACT Policing spokesperson said the alleged incident occurred when the mother was walking with her baby on Ijong Street, Braddon, at around 4:30 pm on Saturday (24 January).
The spokesperson said the pair was approached by a woman who allegedly blocked their path, grabbed the baby from the pram and threw him to the ground.
“The mother took the baby to hospital for medical treatment and the matter was reported to police,” the spokesperson said.
It is understood the baby received a minor brain bleed from the alleged assault and was released from hospital earlier this week.
The woman was arrested on Wednesday (28 January) and appeared briefly before the ACT Magistrates Court the following day, Thursday.
The court heard health professionals had recommended she be taken for a mental health assessment and her lawyer, Donovan Kelso of Legal Aid, said she consented to that recommendation.
Magistrate Amy Begley noted the health professionals assessed her as having “disordered thought content”.
The magistrate said she would not formally charge the woman at this stage and ordered she be taken to hospital for a mental health assessment.
The woman will return to court at a later date, and Region has not named her while the assessment is underway.
Police are also investigating a second incident near Ijong Street in Braddon on Saturday in which a woman was allegedly assaulted shortly before the incident involving the baby.
“Witnesses to either incident are being sought by police,” the police spokesperson said.
If you can assist police, contact Crime Stoppers via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Quote reference number 8284796.
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