Doctor tells baby J murder trial of brain damage

A DOCTOR told how he discovered signs of "irreversible" brain damage when he examined the scan of a young baby, whose mother is accused of his murder.

Mallinder, 37, of Leicester Road, Tilbury, who denies murder, is alleged to have inflicted the fractures and severe brain damage which led to his death 13 months later.

Dr Wei Chong said he saw fresh bleeding and swelling to the brain when he examined the CT scan of three month old Jack, which had been taken after the critically ill child was rushed to Basildon Hospital on February 13 2006.

Dr Chong, a consultant paediatric neuro radiologist, estimated that the blood was more than two to three hours old and less than three to four days old and there was evidence of permanent brain damage.

Dr Chong told the jury at Basildon Crown Court today: "There were signs already appearing. It looked as if there was enough abnormality on the brain for there to be concern that there was going to be irreversible brain injury.

He also said the injury was "suspicious of trauma to the head" and the mechanism for causing it was "shaken baby or shaken impact injury."

Dr Chong added: "The key feature is rapid alternating forces of acceleration and deceleration acting on the brain."

On cross examination by Sally O'Neill QC, defence counsel for Joanne Mallinder, Dr Chong accepted it was possible the bleeding on the brain and the brain damage could have occurred "independently" and the swelling to the brain was much more recent than the bleeding.

Mallinder, 37, of Leicester Road, Tilbury, who denies murder, is alleged to have inflicted the fractures and severe brain damage which led to his death 13 months later.

The trial continues.