Suspended sentence for father who assaulted toddler

A Nigerian who burnt his two-year-old son’s face with boiling water and fractured it has been given a two years suspended sentence by Judge Yvonne Murphy at Dublin Circuit Criminal.

Ese Erujaroh had his sentence adjourned on a previous occasion so that the court could assess what progress he made in anger management courses run by the health board.

Ese Erujaroh, aged 35, with an address at Park Lodge Hotel on North Circular Road, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty in 2002 to assault causing harm to his son on July 12, 2001.

The court heard then that his two sons had been taken into foster care following this incident and a third son, born later, was also taken into care.

They are still in foster care but the social services hoped the family could be reunited in due course.

Judge Murphy was told Erujaroh came to Ireland in 2000 and sought asylum with his wife after he witnessed his brother’s death when his house was burnt down in the Nigerian civil war.

He has a temporary work permit as a kitchen porter and is doing a FAS course training as a forklift driver.

Judge Murphy said the work permit appeared to have taken some of the pressure off him. "I accept that he must have had a difficult time in Nigeria but nothing justifies the assaults he committed on his young sons," she said.

Garda Declan Conlon told prosecuting counsel, Ms Mary Ellen Ring SC, the offences came to light after the hotel receptionist noticed some blistering on the left side of the child’s face .

Erugaroh’s wife revealed her husband had put the child’s face in boiling water and banged his head off the wall.

Gardaí were called and it was discovered Erujaroh had taken his nine-month-old son to the launderette.

Mrs Erujaroh and her older son were taken to hospital.

On examination, the boy was discovered to have a fractured skull, two lumps on his head, one of which had a cut, a swollen eye, scratches to his chest wall and marks on his lower limbs.

Mrs Erujaroh told the gardaí this son also had to be taken to hospital with bruising on his face and a swollen upper lip when they were staying in Mosney.

Garda Conlon said when gardaí went to the hotel that night to arrest Erujaroh they noticed a group of people outside.

They were informed by the hotel owner that the defendant had been disturbing some of the other guests.

Erujaroh was arrested and his nine-month-old son was taken to the hospital to be examined. It was discovered he also had a fractured skull.

Garda Conlon said Erujaroh had received convictions since this offence for public order violations and criminal damage. Mrs Erujaroh had been charged with the same offence as her husband but the charges were dropped.