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Tokyo cops arrest Australian man for shaking infant daughter to death

Richard Burroughs
Richard Burroughs

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 36-year-old Australian male for allegedly shaking his 14-month-old daughter to death, reports TV Asahi (Oct. 13).

Between 5:00 p.m. on March 24 and 6:30 a.m. the following day, Richard Burroughs, a resident of Suginami Ward, is alleged to have raised Riana Sydney Ito above her crib and shaken her violently.

The cause of death is believed to be brain damage.

Burrows, who has been charged with manslaughter, denies the allegations. “I don’t recall doing any violent shaking (of my daughter),” the suspect in quoted by police, according to TV Asahi (Oct. 13).

The suspect lived with his wife and child. At the time of the incident, his wife was outside of the apartment. When she came home, the suspect told her that their daughter’s throat became blocked by milk and he turned her upside down, according to the Sankei Shimbun (Oct. 13). The baby was later confirmed dead at a nearby hospital.

In September, Burroughs was also arrested for inflicting injury upon his daughter by shaking her in May of last year.