Cessnock man charged with attempted murder of 5 month old baby

A man has been charged over the alleged attempted murder of a baby in the state’s Hunter region last year.

On Saturday 12 December 2020, police received reports that a then aged five-month-old girl had been taken to a local hospital suffering critical injuries. She was later transferred to John Hunter Hospital for ongoing treatment.

The matter was referred to detectives at the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad who commenced an investigation.

Following extensive inquiries, investigators attended a home in Cessnock and arrested a 26-year-old man just before 9am today (Wednesday 17 February 2021).

The man, who is known to the child, was taken to Cessnock Police Station where he was charged with attempted murder.

He was refused bail and appeared before Cessnock Local Court today, where he was formally refused bail to reappear before the same court on Wednesday 14 April 2021.

The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.

Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: http://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.

Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. People should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or http://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.