1. Babysitter ‘shook baby to death’ less than 30 minutes after mum left for work.
A babysitter had been caring for a 10-month-old baby for less than 30 minutes when she “dangerously and excessively shook him” to death, a UK court has heard.
Viktoria Tautz, 34, had been left to care for Joshua Paul, whose mum had left for work just half an hour before she allegedly gave the child the injuries that killed him, The Mirror reports.
The defendant, of north London, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. She had told police on the morning of August 29, 2014, she had been playing a “horse riding” game with the child, having bounced him on her leg.
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson told the court Tautz “snapped”.
“On that day, for whatever reason, something snapped in the defendant and for a short while she lost her temper with Joshua and assaulted him causing all those injuries,” said Prosecutor Zoe Johnson.
Ms Johnson said Tautz had then put the child in his cot and heard him making “usual baby noises”.
However, when she later found he had fallen unconscious she called an ambulance.
“(Paramedics) found the defendant, Viktoria Tautz, performing mouth to mouth resuscitation on Joshua Paul, a 10-month-old baby,” Johnson said.
The child was rushed to hospital and then transported to another, but could not be saved and died in his parents’ arms on September 1 2014.
“Joshua died because of a head injury that caused bleeding in his brain, bleeding in his eyes and brain and spinal injuries.”
Tautz had been hired by the family just two months prior and passed all necessary checks.
The trial continues.
2. 28-year-old man charged over the murder of his mother in Sydney’s south.
A 28-year-old man accused of killing his mother in their home in Sydney’s south is due to face court over the murder, AAP reports.
The man’s older brother, 31, found the bloodied body at the Sylvania townhouse about 6.45am on Monday.
Since then, a crossbow and pitchfork have allegedly been found in a car driven by the 28-year-old.
Following hours of questioning on Monday, police charged the younger man with murder and he was refused bail to appear at Newtown Local Court on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old woman, named in media reports as Linda Connors, lived in the Sylvania home with her two sons.
“The (31-year-old) fellow is very distraught by what has happened … he is the one who came across the incident and called police to attend,” Superintendent Michael O’Toole told reporters on Monday.
3. Young, terminally ill patients could be given the right to end their lives in NSW.
Terminally ill patients as young as 25 would be given the right to end their lives with medical assistance under draft legislation to be introduced into the NSW parliament within months, AAP reports.
The draft Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill would allow patients with reasonable medical judgement and who expect to die within 12 months as well as suffering extreme pain, or physical disabilities to be allowed to choose euthanasia, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday.
Several safeguards would be in place, including a cooling off period of 48 hours, and the right of close relatives to challenge patient eligibility in court, while two medical practitioners would need to sign off on the final decision, among other requirements.
