A MOTHER who covered her head with a pillow to block her injured baby's screams has appealed an 18-month prison sentence.
Julie Kim Edwards, 21, was charged after letting 9 1/2-month-old daughter Josephine Rose suffer up to four days without medical attention.
The infant's leg was broken in August 2006, about a month after her face was "sizzled" by scalding formula.
The County Court in Ballarat heard yesterday that Edwards allowed former boyfriend, Aaron Rutherford, to splint Josephine's leg with toy sticks, plastic and sticky tape - a method he copied from children's television show
Power Rangers.
At one stage, Rutherford told Edwards to "listen to this" before moving Josephine's leg so the cracking noise of her bones was audible, the court heard.
Crown prosecutor Bob Johnson said Rutherford, 19, was feeding the baby when the lid came off the bottle, pouring scalding formula on her chin, face and neck.
"(Edwards) says it was that bad parts of the skin on her face had started to peel off. She says that she wet a blanket and put it on her face, and as she did so she could hear the flesh sizzle," he said.
Edwards treated Josephine's face with a wet blanket and gave her baby Panadol before going to bed.
The Wendouree woman was given a non-parole period nine months after pleading guilty at Ballarat Magistrates Court in February to recklessly causing injury and intentionally failing to take action to prevent significant harm
to a child.
Baby Josephine went four days without treatment for her leg, and waited overnight to be taken to hospital for her burnt face.
Yesterday, defence counsel Sarah Leighfield said Edwards' offending occurred against a backdrop of long-term domestic violence.
Ms Leighfield said Edwards was scared of Rutherford and, at the time of her arrest, was incapable of making basic decisions.
"She couldn't decide what to wear, she couldn't stand up for herself," Ms Leighfield said.
Ms Leighfield asked the court to consider her client did not cause the injuries, was undergoing counselling, and had promised to give evidence against Rutherford.
Rutherford, of Wendouree, is facing 10 charges including recklessly causing serious injury and will appear at Ballarat Magistrates Court for contest mention on July 11.
Judge John Nixon ordered a community based order assessment and is expected to sentence Edwards this morning.
But he warned her that all punishment options remained open.
"This is a civilised community. (It) just simply can't put up with this type of cruelty to children," he said.