Minder ‘shook baby to death in fit of anger’
A CHILDMINDER paid just £3.60 an hour shook a 10-month-old baby boy to death when she “snapped” minutes after his mother left for work, a court heard.
Viktoria Tautz, 34, allegedly killed Joshua Paul by using “excessive and dangerous” force while looking after him at his north London home. Joshua suffered bleeding on the brain and bruising to the spinal cord and died in his parents’ arms at Great Ormond Street Hospital two days later.
Ms Tautz, a Hungarian student, told police that they had played a game of “horsey” on her knee that morning but he did not fall or show any pain.
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC said experts had concluded Joshua died “as a result of being shaken or shaking accompanied by some sort of injury to his head”. She told jurors at the Old Bailey that Ms Tautz “excessively and dangerously” shook Joshua.
“On that day, for whatever reason, something snapped in the defendant and for a short while she lost her temper with Joshua and assaulted him causing all those injuries,” she said.
Joshua was born three months prematurely with two holes in his heart. He needed help with breathing and was fed by a tube in his stomach.
At 8.40am on Aug 29 2014, Joshua’s mother left for work as the boy was “happy and playing” after breakfast. A short time later, a neighbour heard Ms Tautz crying out “help, help, help” and saw Joshua lying unresponsive on the hallway floor, the court heard. Paramedics arrived at around 9.11am. A distraught Ms Tautz was heard to say: “What am I going to tell his parents?”
Scans on Joshua revealed severe swelling, bleeding in the brain and eyes and evidence of bruising to the spinal cord. He suffered three cardiac arrests and it was agreed with his parents that he would be allowed to die.
Ms Tautz denies one count of manslaughter. The trial continues.