Adelaide father found guilty of manslaughter as son dies with injuries similar to a ‘high-impact car crash’

An Adelaide father will await sentencing after being found guilty over the death of his son in April 2021.

Christies Beach man, Ashley John McGregor, 35, was found guilty today of criminal neglect and manslaughter of his 21-day-old son, Alvin.

The court was previously told McGregor and Alvin’s mother, Rebecca Denton, took the newborn to Noarlunga Hospital unresponsive early on April 23, 2021, about 42 hours after he was injured.

During the trial, an interview with police officers and McGregor was played in court, where a police officer described the injuries suffered by baby Alvin as being consistent with him being “violently shaken”.

“It’s very similar to what you’d expect … in a high-impact car crash,” the officer said.

Trial prosecutor Michael Foundas told the court Alvin’s autopsy exposed the true extent of “a number of significant injuries”, which included extensive bruising to his back, rib fractures, brain bruises, a detached retina and a bruise on his skull.

In his interview with police, McGregor claimed he had accidentally knocked over the baby’s bassinet, but decided not to take the child to hospital because “he settled”.

“Maybe we should have taken him to hospital, we should’ve been, like, more cautious,” McGregor said.

“I’ve got nothing to hide, I want to know what happened to him.”

Alvin’s mother Denton had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal neglect and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years on home detention for failing to obtain adequate medical care for her son.

McGregor will appear again in court next month for sentencing submissions.