| Father
accused of shaking 11 day old son to death in Chiswick
The
court at the Old Bailey has heard a father being accused of shaking
his baby son to death in Chiswick last year. Victor Dafonte, a hotel
porter aged 33, was looking after 11 day old Edson for his estranged
wife Djamilla Correreia at her home on Barrowgate Road when she
went out to register the birth. When she returned she found the
baby to be seriously ill. The baby was rushed to hospital where
doctors discovered damage so severe that he would never have fully
recovered.
Edson
lived for nine months but suffered epileptic fits and was never
developed normally. Dafonte was arrested and charged with grevious
bodily harm but after the baby's death was rearrested and charged
with murder.
Orlando
Pownell QC, prosecuting, reportedly said: "He shook the baby
so hard that he caused severe injuries to the child's brain."
He added that the doctors and nurses who treated Edson felt that
the injuries sustained were inconsistent with the father's account.
The jury was also told that the baby was also bitten at the time
of the attack. Expert testimony was given which showed that the
bite marks were an exact match of those of Dafonte's teeth.
Dafonte
denies murder and claimed that his son had fallen to the floor while
he was asleep on his shoulder. The trial continues at the Old Bailey.
January
9, 2003
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