A Maketu man "smashed" his 8-month-old baby because it would not stop crying, leaving the child with horrific injuries including a broken left arm and bruising to her face, the inside of an ear, and both shoulders.
Blair Selwyn, 21, also refused to allow his partner to get medical attention for the child, punching her in the left side of the head when she confronted him about their daughter's injuries.
The woman had been buying baby formula at the shops on the evening of November 30, when the injuries were inflicted on her child.
During the course of the evening and into the early hours Selwyn repeatedly threatened to "knock her out" if she tried to leave with the baby and it was only once he was picked up to go to work the next morning that the woman was able to call an ambulance and police.
In Tauranga District Court Selwyn pleaded guilty to maiming with intent to injure, injuring with intent to injure, assaulting a female and wilful neglect of a child.
According to the summary of facts, when the child's mother returned from the shops, Selwyn confronted her about how long she had been away. "She [the baby] has been crying and I've just smashed her." The baby was found lying on its back in bed, screaming.
Picking up the child, the woman noticed three purple marks on the baby's face - one the size of a 50 cent piece and another the size of a 10 cent piece. The baby's right cheek was also red and swollen, and there were red dots on one side of its right eye which was also swollen.
When Selywn's partner told him he should not have hit the child, he punched and kicked her, as well as threatening to knock her out when she demanded that he let her seek medical help for the baby.
After the baby was put to bed, but failed to settle, the woman noticed the child's left arm was limp and swollen below the elbow. Selwyn still refused to let her leave the house.
When Selwyn left for work the next morning, the woman immediately called an ambulance and police, and the baby was admitted to Tauranga Hospital.
When interviewed by police, Selwyn denied being responsible, but during a subsequent interview admitted he had hit the baby three times. He claimed the hits occurred when he was trying to calm the baby down and some of the injuries may have been caused after he had put her to bed too forcefully.
He said the arm injury may have occurred several days earlier.
Selwyn is on electronically monitored bail, and will be sentenced on July 22. A further charge of threatening kill or do grievous bodily harm is yet to be resolved and will be dealt with on the same date.
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