GUNMA (TR) – Gunma Prefectural Police have arrested a 32-year-old man over the alleged abuse of the 2-month-old son of his common-law wife that left the child unconscious, reports TV Asahi (Mar. 7).
Between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sunday, Makoto Morita, of no known occupation, is alleged to have violently shaken the boy, Tsugumi Iizuka, at the residence they share in Takasaki City. The suspect also used his hand to block the mouth and nose of the child.
Morita, who has been accused of attempted murder, admits to shaking the child but denies intending to kill him. He was sent to prosecutor on Wednesday morning.
The mother of the boy alerted emergency services when she realized the boy had stopped breathing. After examining the boy’s body, personnel at a hospital alerted police about a possible case of child abuse on Monday.
The boy, who remains unconscious, was found to have suffered broken ribs. Police are now investigating whether the suspect repeatedly abused the boy.
Child consultation center
On November 28 of last year, the mother of the boy visited a child consultation center in Takasaki while pregnant with Tsugami. She asked that the center take custody of the child after the birth due to financial concerns. She said that the suspect is not able to work due to a medical problem, according to the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 7).
The following month, the representatives from the child consultation and medical personnel discussed the matter with the woman. After the birth of Tsugami on December 28, the woman began receiving continual assistance from a civic employee.
During a medical examination when the boy was one-month-old, nothing unusual was found. During an interview with the employee, the suspect showed no indications that he had committed domestic violence. However, the civic employee was unable to reach the woman beginning in February.
