Dad charged with aggravated assault of 4-month-old (St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada)

Father COLIN MATCHIM is charged with aggravated assault for shaking his 4-month-old daughter. The baby suffered "non-accidental head trauma."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/07/10/nl-shaking-baby-trial526.html

Dad accused of shaking baby opts for jury trial
August Matchim, now 7 months old, sustained severe head injuries

Last Updated: Friday, July 10, 2009 5:30 PM NT

A St. John's man charged with aggravated assault for allegedly shaking his four-month-old baby has opted for a jury trial.

Colin Matchim, 23, made a court appearance in St. John's on Friday to ask to be tried by judge and jury in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court.

A preliminary inquiry to determine if there's enough evidence for the case to go to trial will be held in December. His former partner, Kate Coombs, wasn't present at Friday's court hearing.

Staff at the Janeway children's hospital called in the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary in March, soon after Coombs brought her daughter, August Matchim, to be treated.

Coombs told CBC News she found her daughter looking unwell after returning home from a trip to the bank on March 17.

Physicians at the Janeway found that August had suffered an injury that the RNC later described as "non-accidental head trauma."

"And I had no idea what had happened," Coombs told CBC News in an April interview.

Matchim was charged with aggravated assault on April 9.

That sequence of events ended the couple's one-year relationship, Coombs said.

Coombs said Friday that August is making a remarkable recovery and is beating all medical expectations.

Initially, it appeared the girl might be blind and deaf, Coombs told the CBC's Glen Payette. But her hearing and vision are now normal, Coombs said.

The baby can hold herself up, roll over, and seems to be as normal as any baby her age.

But Coombs said it is still too early to tell exactly what effects her injuries will have on her brain.