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A Queensland mother has been accused of inflicting life-threatening injuries upon her three-week-old baby daughter.
The newborn may not survive the serious brain injuries inflicted during an alleged assault, which possibly happened days before she was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital on March 22.
The infant was later taken for further treatment to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, where she remains.
“That’s going to have lifelong implications for this baby, if in fact (she) does survive,” Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Hurst said on Tuesday.
“The injuries are still considered life-threatening.
“We’re not sure whether she will continue to live or not.
“We’ll allege the mother is the person who was responsible for causing those injuries to this three-week-old baby.”
Hurst has alleged the mother was the child’s primary caregiver.
The 28-year-old woman has been charged with grievous bodily harm after a month-long police investigation and was granted bail in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Saturday.
Detectives are continuing to determine a timeline of events around the alleged assault.
They are also investigating if the injuries were deliberately inflicted.
They believe the assault occurred around two days before the baby was taken to hospital.
“The medical advice I have is this three-week-old baby did deteriorate over time, which resulted in her requiring to be hospitalised,” Hurst said.
“We do know that this mother has a lot of associates and people who she’s had contact with who will know about this incident.
“If they have any information that’s relevant that may assist the police investigation, we are asking they do contact us.”
Members of the baby’s family have been interviewed as part of the police investigation.
Arrangements around the baby’s care have been referred to the Queensland Department of Child Safety.
The mother is expected to appear in court again on July 3.
This article first appeared on 7News and has been republished here with permission.
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