[attach id=250722 size="medium"]Nigerian footballer Akande Williams, 23, is pleading not guilty to trying to kill his girlfriend’s 14-month-old son. Photo: Facebook[/attach]

A 14-month-old boy has permanent brain damage after suffering from shaken baby syndrome, a court heard yesterday in a case where the mother’s boyfriend stands charged with trying to kill the child.

Nigerian footballer Akande Williams, 23, is pleading not guilty to trying to kill Maleek Olowoshile on April 15 at the Mellieħa apartment he shares with the child’s mother, Abiola. Mr Williams, who plays for Mqabba, is on remand.

Taking the witness stand, Ms Olowoshile said her child was taken to hospital in two incidents on separate days.

The first happened on April 5, when the boy had a fit and began clenching his jaw.

The accused had put his finger in the child’s mouth to try and release the jaw and was bitten, suffering from a broken finger.

They took the child to hospital and he was kept there for a week.

Ten days later, back at home, she fed the baby some milk at about 6.30am.

She then departed for work, leaving Mr Williams to look after the infant, as she had done many times before.

Part of the child’s skull was removed because of severe brain swelling

The baby usually woke up at about 11am but she received a phone call from the accused at midday who, sounding panicked, told her that the child was cold, stiff and unconscious.

She rushed home and an ambulance was called.

When asked why she had stopped using a baby-sitter, the mother said she was afraid that her former husband would take the child away after he told her there was a white family who wanted to adopt him.

Paediatrician Mariella Mangion told the court that on the first visit to the hospital the child was found to be suffering from blood on the brain and was admitted after he began to vomit and have diarrhoea.

Dr Mangion testified that the child’s mother said the accused had shaken the baby while trying to open its mouth during the fit that the child suffered a few hours before being admitted.

The child spent a week in hospital before being allowed to go back home.

The prosecution believe that the accused shook the baby in the second incident as well.

In her testimony, Dr Mangion said the next time she saw the child was 10 days later when he was rushed back to hospital unconscious.

A brain scan revealed that there was a collection of blood on the brain and lack of oxygen, and he was operated upon immediately. Part of his skull was removed because of severe brain swelling.

The child has remained in intensive care since and only has responses to pain and nothing else, the doctor said.

The baby’s health had been normal and the evidence pointed to the fact that the child suffered from shaken baby syndrome, she added.

The case continues.

Police Inspectors James Grech and Jessica Grima prosecuted while legal aid lawyer Joseph Ellis appeared as parte civile.

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