Baby in critical condition after being slashed in the face in Brisbane
A four-month-old baby is fighting for life after he was slashed in the face with a knife at a Brisbane home and a family member has been taken into police custody.
Police said the infant’s mother woke to the sound of his cries just after 6.30am on Tuesday and found the baby in his cot, with a second family member in the room "in possession" of a large knife.
Police collect evidence at a home in The Gap, where a baby was assaulted on Tuesday morning.
Photo: Jorge BrancoRegional Duty Officer Inspector Daniel Bragg said paramedics and officers were “visibly distressed” by the scene at the home, in The Gap, in Brisbane’s west.
He said the baby suffered "several slash marks" to the face and the family member had been "in possession" of the knife.
Police were questioning a 64-year-old woman, who Inspector Bragg described as a family member, saying the boy and his mother were believed to be visiting the home.
Paramedics were rushing the boy to the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in a critical condition as police arrived.
“Clearly when a young child has sustained such critical injuries, this isn’t the work of a well adjusted, happy individual,” Inspector Bragg said.
The mother was “clearly distraught” as she waited at the hospital with her son and had helped police with their investigations.
Inspector Bragg said all possible considerations were being looked into.
“This is the worst-case scenario,” he said.
“As a police service we do our best to keep people safe but we deal in trauma.
“We’re used to going to trauma but it’s always probably the most affecting job you can go to, one involving a child.
“I wasn’t here when the ambulance arrived but I’m led to believe that the ambulance officers who attended were visibly distressed by what they were dealing with and can I say that the police officer who was first on the scene, who did an amazing job, was visibly affected by what he saw.”
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