Abused babies’ parents likely to blame for injuries, court told

Only the parents of 11-week-old twins could have been responsible for their severe injuries, the state has argued in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

Prosecutor Cornelia Harmzen asked the court to convict the children’s 28-year-old father and 26-year-old mother on charges of attempting to murder their baby son and severely assaulting their baby daughter in December 2012.

The baby boy was rushed to hospital in the early hours of the morning of Christmas Day 2012 with a cracked skull and a bleeding brain.

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He had emergency surgery, but the brain damage is permanent and he is now in a vegetative state in a wheelchair.

His twin sister had four fractured ribs.

The parents have denied guilt to the charges.

The father told the court he had no idea how the children were injured. The mother accused the father of abuse and said she had never lifted a hand to her children.

Judge Eben Jordaan postponed the trial to March 13 for judgment.

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