http://www.stuff.co.nz/4802546a11.html

Northland baby dies from head injuries

Wednesday, 24 December 2008

A 16-month-old baby rushed to Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital has died overnight from injuries police say were not accidental. He was Riley Justin Osborne

The child was taken to Auckland from Kerikeri in Northland on Friday night for emergency surgery.

Police said the injuries left the child blind and with brain injuries but in spite of specialist medical care, he died last night.

His death was now being treated as a homicide and 17 police officers were working on the inquiry. A post mortem was due today.

Earlier this week police confirmed that they had been called out previously to noisy parties at the house where the young boy lived. The child resided with his mother, 21, and her partner. Another person was also believed to live in the house.

Police also said the boy’s birth father was “not in the picture”.

The house on Cobham Rd, was in the same street where the body of slain teenager Liberty Templeman was found last month.

The badly hurt infant was taken first to the Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa before he was flown to Auckland.

The mother and other relatives were believed to have been at the boy’s hospital bedside and were spoken to by police.

NZPA