The child’s mother, who inflicted the fatal injuries on the seven-week-old baby, was sentenced to four years and two months’ jail in June.

The 28-year-old man ,who cannot be named, was yesterday sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney.

The man had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his seven-week-old son.

He had failed in his duty of care to seek medical attention for his son after the child was badly injured by his mother.

The baby died on May 6, 2006.

Yesterday’s judgement, handed down by Justice Hulme, stated the couple had been living at a property 20km from Bingara.

On Thursday, May 4, 2006, the man had left his partner at home with their newborn son and their toddler

daughter.

They boy had been crying. The mother was angry and took hold of the bassinette and shook it.

When the baby continued to cry she picked him up and threw him into the bassinette.

The baby continued to cry.

“She then pushed the bassinette with both hands, causing it to move across the floor and fall over,” the judgement read.

“She then checked (the child) and found that he was badly hurt.”

The mother then phoned her partner who told her she should seek medical attention for the baby.

No medical attention was sought.

The baby remained in his bassinette during the night.

His condition had worsened by morning.

The couple then ignored advice from a midwife to call an ambulance and instead set out to drive to Inverell

Hospital.

The baby boy stopped breathing en route.

He was taken to Tamworth Hospital before being transferred to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle where he died.

The father initially told police his younger daughter may have caused the bruising.

Dr Kieran Moran, a consultant paediatrician, was of the opinion that the baby died as a result of blunt trauma to the head. A severe impact would have been required.

The court heard the baby’s chances of survival were greatly diminished by the delay in obtaining medical

intervention.

His life could have been saved if he had received treatment earlier.