Dad held on suspicion of killing 5-month-old son (Alcobaca, Portugal)

UNNAMED DAD is in police custody "on suspicion" of murdering his 5-month-old son. The baby died from "physical injuries to his head and torso." There was also evidence of previous abuse.

http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=1056-8

Man held on suspicion of killing five month old son
10/4/2010

A 23-year-old man is being held in PJ police custody on the suspicion of having murdered his five-month-old son in Alcobaça. He will remain in custody until the investigation into the incident has been completed.

The suspect is being held in the Leiria Regional Prison Establishment.

According to Leiria PJ’s Department of Criminal Investigation, “all indicates that the child, a five-month-old male, died after suffering physical injuries to his head and torso”. The father is also believed to have attacked the child one month earlier as, the report stated, there were “signs of previous aggression and neglect that were not treated in hospital”.

The baby’s mother was also questioned by police but not made a suspect.

The head of the Alcobaça Bombeiros Voluntários, Mário Serol, told Lusa News Agency that they had received a call to attend an incident involving “a baby pram or chair that had fallen over” in a house “100 metres from the headquarters”.

“The child was unconscious and also showed signs of encephalitis; a traumatic head and brain injury”.

Mário Serol explained that, at the time the firemen arrived, the child’s situation “was already very complicated”.

Three firemen were present at the scene, “they carried out resuscitation procedures, at the house and throughout the kilometre-long route to the hospital”, he added, concluding that as the hospital suspected it may have been a case of physical abuse, the decision was made to inform the PSP police.


Edition: 1056