A Victorian father has been found not guilty of causing the death of his 24-day-old baby.
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The Supreme Court jury delivered its verdict against the man, whose identity is suppressed, on Tuesday afternoon after deliberating for four days.
The man let out a big sigh and dropped his head in relief after the foreman confirmed the jury's decision.
Prosecutors had alleged he violently assaulted the newborn in a moment of frustration - shaking him, striking him, or both after he awoke crying and screaming about midnight.
The man initially told paramedics the baby went limp in his arms after his partner went to grab a bottle of milk.
He repeated the claim at a hospital where the baby later died in November 2017.
Police later found the man had gone to a doctor about his depression and confessed he actually dropped his son, defence barrister Rishi Nathwani told the jury.
But the barrister questioned the findings of a forensic pediatric practitioner who looked at the baby's injuries.
"There's no dispute there are a number of injuries, but there is a dispute about what they mean," Mr Nathwani told the jury.
The man pleaded not guilty to the charge of child homicide and was on trial in the Supreme Court in Melbourne, where jurors heard four weeks of evidence.
The jury retired on Thursday afternoon for deliberations before returning a not guilty verdict just after 4pm on Tuesday.
The man nodded at the jury and mouthed thank you as the jurors left the room.
Justice Amanda Fox confirmed he was free to leave the court.
Australian Associated Press
