 |
| Surveillance video footage shows a nurse holding the legs of a baby while its head hangs down at a gynecology clinic in Busan on Oct. 20. Captured from YTN |
By Park Si-soo
A nurse working at a Busan-based gynecology clinic is under investigation on suspicion of physically abusing a five-day-old baby that resulted in critical brain damage.
Public outrage was stirred after police released surveillance camera footage of the alleged infant abuse on Monday. The footage, recorded about 1 a.m. on Oct. 20, shows the nurse grabbing the baby's legs and lifting her to the height of her face. With the baby's head loosely hanging down, the nurse dropped the baby to the bed. The baby bounced a little after the fall and crashed to the bed again.
Police say the nurse abused the newborn in similar ways on Oct. 18 and 19.
They also found two hours of Oct. 20 footage that had been deleted for unclear reasons. Police are investigating how it happened, suspecting hospital officers tampered with the original footage to cover up something.
According to police, the baby showed signs of breathing problems at 11 p.m. on Oct. 20 and was sent to a general hospital, which diagnosed a fractured skill-driven brain hemorrhage.
The clinic claims "external shock" to the baby while aboard an ambulance that took her to the general hospital led to the critical brain damage. But the ambulance driver and accompanying rescue workers deny this.
Police also believe the nurse's abuse was the direct cause of the damage.
The baby's parents posted a petition on the presidential office's website, calling for a thorough investigation.
The clinic closed after the investigation began.
