Baby Chloe Murphy suffered head injuries similar to a car accident
Herald Sun
February 29, 2016
Baby Chloe Murphy suffered head injuries similar to a car accident Anthony and Kat Murphy outside the Coroners Court.
A BABY girl who died after her parents left her in the care of a babysitter suffered head injuries similar to those of a car crash victim, a Coroners inquest has heard.
A panel of nine medical experts in court yesterday agreed 10-month-old Chloe Murphy’s probable cause of death was very severe “non-accidental” head and forearm injuries likely inflicted around 9pm or 10pm on the night she was being babysat.
The court heard she may have been thrown against a wall.
On December 3, 2010 Chloe’s parents Anthony and Phurithee Murphy had left Chloe with Ketapat Jenkins so they could go out for dinner and a movie.
But when they picked her up three hours later at about 11pm she was limp and unresponsive.
They rushed her to the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital but Chloe died three days later.
Ms Jenkins was acquitted of child homicide after a Supreme Court trial in 2014.
Mr and Mrs Murphy sat through yesterday’s hearing in silence while the panel told coroner Jacqui Hawkins Chloe suffered a fractured skull, significant brain injuries, retinal haemorrhaging and three breaks to her left arm.
Dr Maryanne Lobo was on the panel of nine experts who reviewed the death of baby Chloe Murphy and gave testimony at the inquest.
The panel said the range of her injuries were not possible to be caused by a fall and that “substantial force” would have been needed to cause the “widespread, extensive and severe haemorrhages” in her brain.
Panel member Dr Marcus Pandy said the force would have been as extreme such as in a car crash or if a television had fallen on her head.
Panel member Dr Maryanne Lobo discounted a fall because Chloe had no bruises, and “shaken baby syndrome” was an unlikely explanation on its own because her fractured skull was caused by impact with a surface.
Asked to postulate how Chloe died, Dr Lobo suggested she may have been crying and unable to be soothed. Her arm could have been grabbed and she could have been shaken then thrown against a wall.
“It was definitely trauma-related and most likely non-accidental,” Dr Lobo said.
Dr Mark O’Sullivan said Chloe’s arm was likely broken by b
Dr Maryanne
“I’ve been in the Royal Children’s Hospital 25 years, I’ve never seen that fracture pattern.”
Dr O’Sullivan said it would have been impossible for a caregiver not to notice her discomfort.
Ms Jenkins has adamantly denied harming or dropping Chloe.
The hearing continues.