Carer bit child as part of a 'game', court told

A childminder who bit a baby as part of "a game" that led to the child being taken into care and the parents blamed for the injuries is facing jail.

Geraldine Rama, 37, who had been caring for the 10-month-old boy for five months, admitted yesterday causing actual bodily harm in August 2001.

Blackfriars Crown Court in London was told the baby, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was fostered and placed on the at-risk register for three months after his parents were suspected of the assault. Experts using dental tests showed the bruising on the child's arm matched Rama's bite.

The child also had two broken legs but charges were not brought because of the difficulty in proving responsibility.

On the day of the assault the baby, who lived with his parents in Acton, west London, was dropped off at Rama's flat in nearby White City by his father. After he was picked up that evening, his mother noticed a mark on his left arm "which looked like a bite mark", said Sarah Le Foe, for the prosecution. "Having seen the mark, the mother telephoned Rama, who said she did not notice any mark," she added.

The next day the baby was taken to his doctor, who referred him to hospital.

A police investigation followed but was dropped because of lack of evidence. Rama, who was registered with Hammersmith and Fulham council, was arrested in July last year after the child's 44-year-old mother, backed by her MP, Clive Soley, pressed for further investigations.

The mother described the while episode yesterday as a "terrifying nightmare". She said: "The police and social services thought our child might have been shaken or dropped at first. He was kept in hospital for a week under police protection. We were under 24-hour surveillance at the hospital. It was horrendous. I thought they were never going to give me my baby back."

Judge Richard Walker granted Rama bail for pre-sentencing reports to be prepared. He said: "You need to understand that somebody guilty of an offence of this nature against a child stands a real risk of being sent to prison."

Admitting the assault, Rama said: "I was reckless in causing the injury to the baby, I had poor sight of the possibility of injury. The injury was caused playing a game with the child."