A four-year-old Wollongong boy left bloodied and bruised after he was allegedly viciously assaulted by his stepfather in an alcohol-fuelled attack has been left too traumatised to speak, a court has heard.
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The boy was allegedly thrown and dragged around the house around 8.30pm on Sunday in an apparently unprovoked attack that included the man slapping the child in the face and physically kicking him, police claim.
The 47-year-old business manager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is also accused of turning on his defacto partner, throwing her onto a bed in the middle of the lounge and repeatedly trying to punch her in the head.
Police later photographed the boy’s injuries, however when they tried to speak with him he didn’t utter a word, with his mother telling officers he hadn’t said anything since the incident took place.
“It is evident to police that [the boy] is clearly traumatised [by what happened],” police wrote in a statement tendered to Port Kembla Court on Monday during the man’s application for bail.
“Police believe the actions of the accused to be an attack on one of the most vulnerable members of the community, a child.
“The boy is so small that he was unable to protect himself from the accused...[whose alleged] actions were totally excessive and unjustified.
“The affects of the incident on the child's mental health will be life-long.”
The police statement reveals the woman and her two children – the youngest (12 months) being the man’s biological son – attended church on Sunday afternoon while the man stayed home drinking.
The family returned home around 4.30pm to find the man well intoxicated.
The children were watching a video when the man, who briefly gone to bed just before 8.30pm, allegedly got up, grabbed the boy off the lounge and threw him towards his bedroom.
The boy scurried onto his bed however was followed by his stepfather, who allegedly slapped the child across the face with the back of his hand, causing his nose to start bleeding.
The man then turned to his defacto, throwing her onto a bed in the middle of the lounge room and repeatedly trying to punch her in head, police allege.
The woman broke free and ran to the rear yard to grab a suitcase so she could pack some clothes and leave, however the man allegedly locked her out of the house.
She later told police she heard banging coming from inside and her son screaming before the man allegedly opened the back door to reveal her son on his hands and knees at the back step.
It is alleged the man then kicked the boy with force, sending him sprawling through the doorway and down the steps, where his mother caught him.
The woman managed to alert neighbours, who contacted police.
Officers gained access to the house to find the man holding his one-year-old son in his arms.
He surrendered without incident, police said, and was later charged with multiple counts of assault.
He allegedly told police he was so drunk he couldn’t remember most of the incident but confessed to giving the boy “a back-hander”, however said he didn’t think it had been too hard.
The man was granted strict conditional bail on Monday after it was revealed the the woman and both children were travelling overseas on Tuesday.
As part of his release, the man has been barred from contacting the woman or his children, or approaching their Wollongong home and must also report to police daily.
The case will return to court on Thursday.
