A man was sentenced to prison time for injuring his girlfriend’s baby so badly that the 3-month-old boy needed CPR and hospitalization.
Credit: Bristol Township Police
Ryan Asan, 23, was found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault in April. Court documents show he was not found guilty of aggravated assault.
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On Thursday, he was sentenced before a judge in Doylestown to 11 1/2 to 23 months in jail.
Bristol Township officers were initially called to the Marion Village Apartments on Marion Avenue, which is where Asan lived with his girlfriend and three children, at around 3:30 a.m. on October 14 for reports of an unresponsive child. Ambulance crews rushed the 3-month-old to St. Mary Medical Center, police said. The baby was later transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for further treatment. The baby suffered some lasting injuries.
During police interviews, Asan claimed he had no idea of how the child was injured, court documents state. In another conversation with police, he said a toy thrown by his 20-month-old son hit the baby in the head and may have caused the injury.
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A pediatrician from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia examined the incident and said the injuries the 3-month-old sustained were “non-accidental trauma or child abuse,” court documents state. The doctor added that retinal hemorrhages found on the child were indicative of shaken baby syndrome, and added that a fall or hit from a toy could not have caused the trauma.
A nurse caring for another child in the apartment the night of the incident, told police Asan was alone with the baby when the assault happened.
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Asan had previously claimed he was talking care of the kids while his girlfriend was not home. He also told police his girlfriend claimed he was the biological father of the 3-month-old, but he did not believe it.
“The infant has since recovered from his injuries and is living with his biological father. Asan’s other children are staying with family members, under the supervision of Bucks County Children and Youth,” the Doylestown Intelligencer reported.
