# Dad Placed on Bond For Shaking and Shouting at His Baby in Cafe

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/news-opinion/general/dad-placed-on-bond-for-shaking-and-shouting-at-his-baby-in-cafe/
- Published: 2016-12-02T13:56:38+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

#### _A father was placed on bond after he shook and shouted at his five-month-old girl in a cafe._

A�court has heard that a 39-year-old father, from Carrum Downs, who cannot be named
for legal reasons, had taken his children to the Spanish Bar Cafe on Sunday, August
28, to allow his wife to rest after a number of difficult nights with the unsettled
infant.

Prosecutor Senior Constable Ross Treverton�said that the father became agitated 
as the baby started crying, then screaming.

The father put the baby in the pram, then pushed and rocked it along the street,
saying “stop crying, stupid baby” and “this has got to stop”, the court heard. “
One witness described him holding the baby away from him and shaking the baby, causing
its head to thrust back and forth,” the prosecutor said.

Concerned witnesses called police and reported that the baby girl was red-faced 
and screaming. They later tried to block in the man’s car so he couldn’t leave the
scene.

When paramedics arrived, they checked the baby who was not injured and the father
drove away with his baby and five-year-old son.

Police then went to the father’s�home, where he was detained for a family violence
order, and later interviewed.

[⌊Dad placed on bond for shaking and shouting at his baby in cafe | stay at home
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The father pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of unlawful assault. His lawyer,
Angelina Centrone, said that he had long-term mental health issues and was overwhelmed
on the day of the assault.

Sen-Constable Treverton told the court that an assault on a child was a serious 
offence, and general deterrence was an important consideration in sentencing.

However, the father�walked from court on a good behaviour bond.

Magistrate Clive Alsop, who said many parents had struggled to cope with unsettled
children “� including himself “� said the “spectre” of the bond would hang over 
his head for two years. He�told the man he acted entirely inappropriately but accepted
he had serious mental health problems and had sought help.

The father’s wife, who was with him and supported him in court, said that her husband
was a responsible and loving father.

Source:�[Kidspot.com.au](http://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/in-the-news/dad-placed-on-bond-after-shaking-and-shouting-at-baby-daughter-in-cafe)

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 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)