Mother Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Medical Child Abuse

Nelson, New Zealand – A woman facing charges of ill-treating and endangering her child has maintained her not guilty pleas in a case alleging medical child abuse. The trial, which began in the High Court at Nelson, centers around accusations that the mother deliberately induced illness in her child and fabricated symptoms.

Allegations Detail Deliberate Harm

Crown prosecutor Mark O’Donoghue outlined the case, describing medical child abuse as a form of abuse where a caregiver subjects a child to “unnecessary, potentially harmful medical care.” The Crown’s argument focuses on two key elements: deliberate contamination and deliberate tampering with the child’s medical equipment, and care.

The charges span several years, from 2019 to 2020, and include allegations of exaggerating and fabricating the child’s illness, disconnecting vital medical lines – including TPN lines, central lines, and jejunostomy tubes – and introducing foreign substances into the child’s system. Specific allegations include disconnecting a TPN line, severing a central line, removing a jejunostomy, and tampering with a portable program device.

The Crown alleges the child suffered polymicrobial sepsis as a result of deliberate contamination of central lines on multiple occasions. O’Donoghue argued the recurring nature of the contamination, even while the child was hospitalized, suggested deliberate action rather than accidental contamination, noting the presence of a “jungle” of bacterial organisms.

Defense Argues for Interpretation and Hindsight

Defense counsel Marie Dyhrberg, KC, countered that the case hinges on interpretation, hindsight, and potential biases in recollections. She emphasized that the child was medically fragile and required constant management, stating, “The existence of risk does not prove deliberate harm.”

Trial Details and Background

The trial is expected to last six weeks, with the Crown intending to call 58 witnesses, half of whom will testify in person and the remainder via video link. The events leading to the arrest were initiated by a doctor who reported concerns to Oranga Tamariki, leading to the exclusion of the defendant from the child’s care.

The defendant has name suppression to protect the identity of the child.

Mark O’Donoghue is the Crown prosecutor in the case, and is a partner at O’Donoghue Webber according to the New Zealand Law Society. He was also the Crown prosecutor in a recent case involving a man accused of murdering a Nelson police officer as reported by Nelson App and in a case where name suppression was continued for a man accused of murder as reported by 1News.