A ten-month-old baby boy died after suffering a “devastating and irrecoverable brain injury” when his nanny allegedly lost her temper and shook him, a court has heard.
A ten-month-old baby boy died after suffering a “devastating and irrecoverable brain injury” when his nanny allegedly lost her temper and shook him, a court has heard.
Joshua Paul was being looked after by childminder Viktoria Tautz, 34, at his home in Culross Close, Haringey, on August 29, 2014 when he collapsed.
He was rushed to North Middlesex Hospital before being transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital but died on September 1 in his parents’ arms, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.
Ms Tautz, of Holly Park Road, Haringey, denies one count of manslaughter.
Opening the trial, prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC told the jury: “On August 29, for whatever reason, the Crown’s case is that something snapped in her and for a short while she lost her temper with Joshua and assaulted him causing all those injuries.
“Her account of what happened whilst she was looking after Joshua does not explain Joshua’s injuries and therefore something occurred – a shaking and/or impact – which the defendant has not revealed.”
Tautz, who was arrested on September 5 2014, said in interviews that she had played a “horse riding game” with baby Joshua but he had not had any accidents and denied that she had shaken him.
Prosecutor Ms Johnson told the jury: “Joshua died because of a head injury that caused bleeding in his brain, bleeding in his eyes and other brain and spinal injuries.
“You will hear from a number of medical experts and a group of these have concluded that Joshua suffered that head injury as a result of being shaken or shaken with an impact to the head.
“The defendant, Ms Tautz, was in sole charge of Joshua at the time of his collapse and thus it is that she is charged with the manslaughter of Joshua Paul.”
Ms Johnson said Tautz began working for the family on June 16 after Joshua’s mother Pearl Vijayan returned to work.