Man accused of fatally shaking three-month-old baby in Serpa remanded in custody

A 69-year-old man has been remanded in custody on suspicion of fatally abusing a three-month-old baby, with investigators alleging the infant’s injuries are consistent with shaken baby syndrome, Portugal’s PJ police have announced.

The suspect appeared before the Serpa Court on Tuesday, which ordered him held in preventive detention, Portugal’s most severe pre-trial measure. He has since been transferred to Beja Prison while the investigation continues.

According to the PJ, the investigation began in January after Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon reported the infant’s death as a suspected case of abuse.

Investigators allege the infant suffered violent physical abuse while under the care of the suspect, identified as the partner of the child’s paternal grandmother.

The alleged assaults are said to have taken place inside the family home in Serpa, in the Alentejo, while the baby’s parents and grandmother were at work, leaving the three-month-old and a two-year-old sibling in the suspect’s care.

The PJ said the evidence gathered during the investigation suggests the child’s injuries are consistent with shaken baby syndrome, a severe form of abusive head trauma caused by violently shaking an infant.

Investigators said the evidence gathered during the inquiry was sufficient to obtain an arrest warrant for the suspect.

The investigation is being led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Serpa.

Michael Bruxo

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.