Baby-shaking trial concludes

A decision is expected in a month as to whether a St. John's man accused of assaulting his own daughter will go to jail.

Summations were made Wednesday at the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador trial of Colin Matchim, 25, who was charged with aggravated assault after his daughter, August, was found to have permanent brain damage after being rushed to hospital.

Justice Wayne Dymond is scheduled to deliver his verdict on May 31.

The Crown's case included the video of a police interview in 2009, in which Matchim confessed to shaking the girl, although he told investigators he was not aggressive with her. The child was only three and a half months old at the time.

The defence argued that Matchim made the confession only to ensure that the girl was not removed from the custody of her parents, and Matchim insisted that he did not shake his daughter. He also suggested that his now-estranged partner, Kate Coombs, was responsible for the girl's injury.

But the court was presented with the transcript of a texting exchange between Coombs and Matchim in the hours before he confessed to the police. The transcript [a copy of which can be read here ] shows that Matchim was highly emotional at the time, and pleading for understanding from Coombs.

At one point, he told her that what happened was an accident and that he had panicked.

Court was told that the girl has neurological damage that is probably permanent.