Recent Research in Child Abuse and Neglect: Non-accidental head injury in New Zealand (2009)

Part of our ongoing survey of what the child abuse and neglect literature says about perpetrators. Perpetrator data is highlighted in bold.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V7N-4WD6XW5-4&_user=4558894&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000063405&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=4558894&md5=1c9c9a7f2acdd79adac76a7c3f7881daChild

Abuse & Neglect
Volume 33, Issue 6, June 2009, Pages 393-401

Non-accidental head injury in New Zealand: The outcome of referral to statutory authorities
Patrick Kellya, , Judith MacCormicka and Rebecca Strangeb

aTe Puaruruhau (Child Abuse Assessment Unit), Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand

bAuckland District Health Board and Child Youth and Family Liaison Social Worker, Auckland, New Zealand


Received 7 March 2008; revised 27 August 2008; accepted 16 September 2008. Available online 29 May 2009.

Abstract Objectives
To describe the outcome of referral to the statutory authorities for infants under 2 years with non-accidental head injury (NAHI), and to establish whether the authorities held sufficient information to develop a risk profile for these cases.

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Criminal charges
The Police issued formal warnings in 2 cases, and laid criminal charges in 18 (46%). In two cases the alleged offender (one of whom was 14) fled the country, and in another the Youth Court diverted the alleged offender (the 16-year-old mother) to a FGC. Fifteen charges came to trial.

In the 18 cases charged, the alleged offender was the father in 12 (60%), the mother in 5 (25%), a “stepfather” in 2 (10%) and an uncle in 1. In two cases, both parents were charged, resulting in a total of 20 accused individuals. Fourteen of 19 (74%) who made an admission of some sort were charged, whereas charges were laid in only 4 of 20 (20%) where no admission was made. Where a decision was made not to charge, the reason was not always clear. Most common was the presence of multiple caregivers, and “insufficient evidence” (in a few cases Police records implied they may not have been convinced the injury was non-accidental). In at least one case, the reason was the mental health of the probable perpetrator.

Of the 15 cases tried, 14 resulted in convictions (36% of the 39 cases). The father was convicted in 11 cases (79%), the mother in 2 (14%) and the mother's partner in 1 (7%). Table 2 describes the charges, convictions and sentences in more detail. The one acquittal was on a charge of murder, for which charge there were no convictions.