Pair charged with assault on four-year-old

A couple have appeared in court charged with assault on a four-year-old.

Abhinesh Kumar Sharma, 35, a plumber from Mt Wellington, and Dorin Sharma, 30, from Otahuhu, both shielded their faces from media as they stood in Auckland District Court this morning.

The pair were charged in the wake of investigations into the death of 16-month-old Sachin Dhani, who died of head injuries in Auckland's Starship Hospital on June 21 after his life support was turned off.

Police found the badly injured child after stopping a car being driven erratically on June 19.

The baby's relatives, from Mt Wellington, who were in the vehicle said they were trying to get him to hospital.

A post-mortem examination showed Sachin died from blunt-force trauma to the head.

Today Abhinesh Sharma was charged with two charges of assault on a four-year-old, on February 7 and April 25 this year.

Dorin Sharma was charged with three assault charges on a four-year-old, the first on Christmas Day 2006, the second on April 11 this year and the third between January 1 and May 1 this year.

The pair were released on bail, under new conditions, and remanded to appear in court on October 9.

- NZPA

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