Inquest into the death of H GM
Deceased
H G-M
Demographics
<1y, female
Date of death
2018-07-23
Finding date
2025-09-11
Cause of death
Unascertained
AI-generated summary
A 9-month-old girl died suddenly on 23 July 2018 following multiple head injuries from blunt force trauma sustained shortly before death. She had presented to medical practitioners multiple times in the preceding weeks with respiratory symptoms and was reviewed by a doctor three days before death, found to be improving on antibiotics for presumed pneumonia. No head injuries were documented during any medical consultation. The child was alone with her mother's partner for approximately 90 minutes before becoming unresponsive and dying despite resuscitation efforts. Expert evidence was divided on whether natural causes could be excluded and whether head injuries directly caused death, but the coroner found the manner of death to be unnatural based on the injuries, their timing, and significant inconsistencies in the account of events. The case demonstrates the importance of recognising and documenting all injuries in vulnerable children and maintaining a high index of suspicion when clinical presentations are inconsistent.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- blunt force trauma to head causing multiple injuries
- fracture to left side of skull with branching fracture
- thirteen discrete bruises to scalp
- intradural bleeding
- injury to frenulum
- periods of time unwitnessed
- inconsistent account of events
- absence of credible explanation for injuries
Coroner's recommendations
- That the death of H G-M be referred to the Unsolved Homicide Team of the NSW Police Homicide Squad for further investigation in accordance with the protocols and procedures of that Team.
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