A Berkeley toddler who died after his mother allegedly failed to get him medical treatment for serious head and stomach injuries had a history of being neglected, a Supreme Court jury has heard.
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The boy, who along with his mother can't be identified, was admitted to Wollongong Hospital about 4.30pm on August 3, 2012, suffering from bleeding on the brain and a perforated gut.
He died less than an hour later.
Police charged the woman with manslaughter by criminal negligence, claiming she failed to get her son any medical treatment in the days before his death.
In an opening address to the jury on Monday, Crown prosecutor Chris Maxwell, QC, said expert witnesses would give evidence in the trial about the boy's deteriorating health in the lead-up to his death, including "obvious" symptoms they say he would have displayed from his injuries.
"It's the Crown case that it was during this time [in the days before his death] that his need for urgent medical attention would have become obvious to [his mother]," Mr Maxwell said.
He said a forensic pathologist who conducted the post-mortem examination on the boy's body revealed that he died from "multiple injuries", including a "severe and recent head injury" that caused bleeding on the surface of the brain, as well as a "blunt force injury to the abdomen" that caused peritonitis - the inflammation of the membrane covering the abdominal wall and organs.
Left untreated, the combined nature of the injuries ultimately caused death, Mr Maxwell said.
It will be alleged, however, that this wasn't the first time the boy had been injured and failed to receive medical treatment.
Mr Maxwell said the forensic pathologist also detected several fractured bones in the boy's body.
Jurors are expected to hear evidence that fractures were detected in three of the boy's ribs, his collar bone, left shoulder blade and one of his forearms, all of which allegedly occurred between two and six weeks before his death.
Medical records show the boy never received treatment for the injuries, Mr Maxwell said.
"The Crown will say this is evidence of [the mother's] tendency not to take appropriate medical action regarding the deceased," he said.
"You will also hear from neighbours of the accused who I expect will give evidence about neglect by [the mother] of her son."
However, defence barrister Winston Terracini, SC, urged jurors not to jump to conclusions until they had heard all the evidence against the woman.
"She has not been charged with causing the injuries that were found on this baby's body," he said, noting that there were two other people - the woman's current partner at the time and her ex-partner, the child's biological father - who were also involved in his care.
"She was doing the best she could to try and look after the baby.
"The question for you to determine is whether this lady would have known how serious the problems were with the boy."
The trial, before Justice Geoffrey Bellew, continues.
