NEWTON, Mass., Feb. 6 -- A teenage English au pair has been ordered held on high bail in Massachusetts on charges of causing massive brain damage to the 9-month-old boy in her care. Prosecutors say 18-year-old Louise Woodward admitted she shook the child because he was 'fussy,' but she pleaded innocent at her arraignment Thursday in the Boston suburb of Newton.
Middlesex County District Attorney Thomas Reilly says the injuries to Matthew Eappen 'are consistent with shaken-baby syndrome.' The boy was reported in critical condition at Boston's Children's Hospital. Officials say he suffered 'massive brain damage' and hemorrhaging of both eyes. Authorities say they expect the child will have severe brain damage, if he lives. A judge ordered Woodward held on $100,000 cash bail. Woodward, of Chester, England, was also ordered to surrender her passport if she makes bail. Police say they were called to the home of Drs. Sunil and Deborah Eappen in Newton Highlands late Tuesday after the girl reported the baby had stopped breathing. She reportedly told emergency medical technicians that she only shook the baby to revive him. Police say the EMTs reported the baby was in a 'lot of trauma' and 'had bulging eyes and seemed to be in convulsions.' Woodward, who was hired through an au pair agency, had been the live- in nanny for the Eappens since November. Police say she has been in this country since June. ---
Copyright 1997 by United Press International. All rights reserved. ---