A 20-year-old Porirua man is appearing in Porirua District Court this afternoon in relation to serious injuries suffered by a 5-year-old Porirua girl.
At about 7:30pm on Tuesday 5 June 2007, the girl was admitted to Wellington Hospital.
Examination showed that she had serious head injuries and she underwent brain surgery that night. She also had significant bruising around her face, legs and buttocks, says Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam of Porirua Police.
"She has since made a significant physical improvement and police understand the prognosis of her physical recovery to be good. However her long term prognosis is not known and will not be known for some time."
Her stepfather, a 20-year-old unemployed Porirua man, is appearing in the Porirua District Court this afternoon charged with Wounding with Intent to Cause Grievous Bodily Harm (Crimes Act 1961, Section 188 (1)). Further charges are pending and bail is opposed.
At this stage, it is not known if he has been granted name suppression and the media are asked to check with the Porirua District Court in relation to this.
As the matter is now before the Court, Police cannot make any further comment.
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