Hong Kong police arrest aunt of 4-month-old baby hospitalised with brain damage

Hong Kong police have arrested a woman on suspicion of ill-treating a child after her four-month-old nephew was hospitalised for signs of shaken baby syndrome.

The force revealed the details on Wednesday, a day after the arrest of the 57-year-old.

The woman, a holder of a two-way travel permit that allows mainland residents to visit Hong Kong, is the baby’s aunt. She had been living in the child’s home in the upmarket residential area of Shouson Hill since January, according to a source.

The woman brought the victim to Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong in Wong Chuk Hang at 3.40pm on Monday upon finding him semi-conscious. The child was then transferred to the intensive care unit of Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam on Tuesday, the source added.

The baby was in critical condition as of Wednesday, according to a Hospital Authority spokeswoman.

An attending doctor, who believed the baby had suffered a brain haemorrhage with signs of shaken baby syndrome, reported the case to police, who are investigating.