A coroner has found relatives of a baby boy deliberately covered up what transpired in the lead-up to the child’s death from serious non-accidental head injuries.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of people who have died.
Six-month-old baby James died on February 1, 2013 after he was found unresponsive in his grandmother's home in Edmonton, in southern Cairns.
Earlier this month, the coronial inquest held in Cairns heard from several members of the child's family, police and medical experts.
Coroner Nerida Wilson today delivered her findings, saying baby James died from injuries consistent with a severe and forcible blunt impact.
"I find that James impacted a wall or floor with considerable force, to be more precise he was slammed or thrown against a wall or floor by one of the persons present in the household," she said.
Those named as present in the household that night include James' mother, Synoa Tabuai, her sister Danielle, Danielle's husband Ehammed Anderson and Synoa and Danielle's mother, Germaine Lenoy.
Coroner Wilson found Synoa Tabuai, as James' primary carer, was the person most likely to have inflicted the fatal injuries.
She noted Ms Tabuai admitted to drinking on the night and said she found her emotions hard to control at that time.
Lack of knowledge 'implausible'
The coroner also questioned testimony and statements from other family members, saying the "extremely vague and ill-defined" details put forward about the family's movements that night were highly suspicious.
"That lack of detail has in my view been deliberately cultivated to cover the true nature of events inside the home," she said.
Coroner Wilson said she was satisfied all members of the family who were present either knew what happened or have come to learn since and not disclosed it.
Doctor's advice ignored
Previous injuries James had sustained were discovered during an autopsy and several experts examined these during the inquest.
Neuropathologist Anthony Tannenberg told the inquest James was shaken several days before he died and that the boy sustained a severe head impact several weeks earlier, which was corroborated by several other experts.
Coroner Wilson also noted Synoa Tabuai's behaviour in the weeks preceding, including not following a doctor's instructions to take James to the Emergency Department at the Cairns Hospital.
"I accept the submission of counsel assisting the inquest that if Synoa had presented James to the hospital as she was advised to do by a general practitioner, action may have been taken by the hospital and Child Safety which could have prevented the second, fatal set of injuries being inflicted two weeks later," she said.
Persons of interest
Synoa's brother-in-law Ehammed Anderson was also mentioned in the coroner's findings as the last person to see James and he was in the room with the baby for some considerable period before alerting Synoa to his laboured breathing.
The inquest heard Mr Anderson and Synoa Tabuai were persons of interest during the police investigation.
"[Mr Anderson] had also advised police that he had concerns that he may have banged James's head while trying to revive him, and this concern was raised before the autopsy showed there were head injuries," Coroner Wilson said in her findings.
"Consideration of Ehammed’s involvement arises from a medical finding that the fatal injuries were inflicted immediately proximate to the child’s death and that he was with the child at the time."
