Mother jailed for neglect of baby

A 20-year-old Putaruru mother is behind bars for wilfully neglecting her daughter.

Jaymie Ellen Haddock was sentenced last week in the High Court at Rotorua to 2 1/2 years in jail, but the sentencing notes of Justice Paul Heath were released yesterday.

Justice Heath said Haddock was 17 at the time. Sarah, aged 3 1/2 months, died at her Putaruru home in March 2005.

She was sharing the home with her partner, Joshua Woodcock, who was Sarah's father.

Justice Heath said a pathologist had found the baby had a fractured skull which led to a subdural haemorrhage, the cause of death.

Other injuries included severe injuries to her ribs on both sides, a tear to the tissue around the upper lip, bruising to her jaw and cheek and bruises, described as "finger bruising", to her chest.

Sarah also had a massive haemorrhage on her left side, likely to have been inflicted seven to 14 days before she died.

The judge said the pathologist had almost 40 years of experience, but had never before seen extensive haemorrhaging of the type on Sarah's left side.

The pathologist had expressed surprise Sarah survived this severe injury for at least a week.

"Your crime lies in having known that physical abuse must have been going on and in not doing anything to help Sarah and to prevent her unnecessary suffering," Justice Heath told Haddock.

No one else has been charged over Sarah's death.

- NZPA