Irish nanny Aisling McCarthy Brady, from County Cavan, has pleaded not guilty to the assault and battery of a one-year-old baby girl in Boston. The Irish native has been remanded on $500,000 bail after a court hearing in Cambridge.
McCarthy Brady (34) was arrested on Monday at the family's Ash Street home for the assault and battery of Rehma Sabir, the one-year-old child under her care. The child's parents are from Pakistan. Prosecutors believe she will be charged with murder once an autopsy has been completed.
The defendant is married and has several relatives living in the Boston area. She has been working as a nanny for 13 years and comes from a large County Cavan family, one of ten children.
Baby Sabir was brought to Boston Children’s Hospital on January 14. She was unresponsive and suffering from subdural and retinal hemorrhaging and cerebral swelling. She died from her injuries.
She had suffered massive brain swelling and fractures to her left arm. According to Boston.com’s reports, the alleged assault took place on the child’s first birthday.
Read more: Irish nanny Aisling McCarthy Brady arrested after death of baby in Boston
Defense attorney Melinda Thompson said the baby had just “traveled all over the world,” the Boston Herald reported. Thompson said the baby Sabir had travelled to London, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and the “shaken baby syndrome” did not occur at the hands of her client, McCarthy Brady.
She told the court that the child was diagnosed with malnutrition when she returned from traveling. Thompson said, “Who knows what could have happened?’’
She added "[McCarthy Brady] loved that child...She maintains her innocence. It's a sad case. Maybe there's no blame to go around ... she did nothing wrong."
However, prosecutors say McCarthy Brady has restraining orders out against her. Assistant District Attorney Katharine Folger declined to elaborate on these restraining orders.
In court on Tuesday, Folger said medical examiners had already found evidence of an existing fracture on Sabir’s left arm and leg, along with significant signs of prior injuries.
Folger said, “It is very clear the only person who had contact with this child at the time of the injuries [on Jan. 14] was the defendant.’’
The arraignment also had the prosecution’s version of the events of the day in question. The child woke at 8am and was cared for by her mother and nanny. Her mother left their Ash Street home at 9.30am. The child was then in McCarthy Brady’s sole care.
The child napped from 10am to 1.15pm. At 4.42pm on January 14, McCarthy Brady called 911 for medical assistance.
The defence team claims Brady, who has 13-years experience as a nanny, found the baby seizing in her crib and immediately called for assistance.
She has been ordered to surrender her Irish passport and the federal immigration authorities have been notified of her arrest.
Here’s Boston Fox’s report from Tuesday morning:
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