By Stephen Breen Sharina Anne Tuzo yesterday admitted protecting her boyfriend when she knew he was abusing their five-month-old godson Saed Young.

She also admitted she was aware the abuse by Jermaine Pearman was getting worse and that the baby was injured but that she did not get medical help.

Tuzo, 20, agreed she feared losing Pearman and knew there would be awkward questions for him if she told a doctor, the police or the child's mother about the assaults.

Saed suffered bite marks to his face and leg, bruises and abrasions to his body, a broken collar bone and multiple fractures to his skull while Tuzo and Pearman were supposed to be looking after him between August 16 and 26 1997 in Bob's Valley Lane, Sandys.

The child was rushed to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital on August 26 but died of multiple fractures to the skull three days later.

Pearman, 27, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Tuzo has been charged with the same offence because the Crown alleges she was grossly negligent and failed to protect the child from abuse.

At the Supreme Court yesterday, Tuzo, of Bob's Valley Lane, agreed with Senior Crown Counsel Brian Calhoun that she was aware the abuse of Saed had continued for three days until Wednesday, August 20.

She described how Pearman would `play punch' the child, smack him, slap him, grab him by his arm, shake him and repeatedly push his head onto the mattress when he tried to raise it.

Although she described it as play at first, she later agreed with Mr. Calhoun that Pearman was abusing the baby.

She said around midnight on Wednesday she awoke to find the baby, who had been in his stroller, lying on the bedroom floor.

She asked Pearman what had happened but he said he did not know.

Mr. Calhoun said: "You knew for three straight days Pearman had been tormenting the child and to use your words acting rough with him and you knew he was being abused as of Wednesday, that his character changed -- he got cranky, he didn't move around as much, he didn't get up or roll over like before.

"You knew by that time he was even less likely to be moving much.'' Tuzo replied: "Yes.'' "The stroller was sturdy. I would suggest to you that you knew very well that a five-month-old baby, especially one that has not been moving around much, is unlikely to be able to topple this stroller by himself.'' "Yes.'' "Knowing Pearman was tormenting the child for at least three days, I would suggest you knew very well that his story was not true and something more had happened. Whatever happened, he had to be the one who did it.'' "Yes.'' "You knew he did something but you didn't do anything about it.'' "No.'' "Did you take him to the hospital or the doctor?'' "No.'' "Knowing Pearman had done this, you still didn't even remove the baby from the home or Pearman from the baby.'' "Yes.'' "Why?'' "I never thought he was a danger.'' Noting that Tuzo now has a baby boy also aged five months old, Mr. Calhoun said: "Would you think it was a danger if someone had been doing this and dumping your baby out of a stroller?'' "I don't know what to think.'' "You love Jermaine Pearman and you didn't want to lose his company but at the same time you wanted to keep the baby. That's what your problem was, wasn't it?'' "Yes.'' Tuzo agreed she knew the abuse was escalating, she had seen the marks to Saed's ear and above his eye, the bite mark to the cheek, and now knew Pearman was responsible for the baby being dumped out the stroller.

Tuzo admits she knew baby was being abused Mr. Calhoun said: "Now you see this child being injured. The baby is quiet, not moving around, his character has changed very much from when you got him.'' "Yes.'' "And you are still of the opinion there was no danger to this baby?'' "I don't know.'' "I am going to suggest you had no reason at all to believe it would stop.'' "Yes.'' "It was obvious he should at least have been seen by a doctor at that point.'' "No.'' "If this was your baby and you found out this was happening and the injuries were inflicted, would you not want your own baby to be seen by a doctor?'' "I guess.'' Tuzo agreed that when the baby's mother, Roshea Young, called on Wednesday and asked about Saed crying in the background, she said the baby was teething but didn't tell her he was being abused.

Mr. Calhoun said: "Your best friend's baby was being abused for three days and you didn't think you needed to tell her that?'' "I wasn't thinking about that.'' "If someone was doing that to your baby, you would want your carer to tell you that?'' "Yes.'' "The reason was so you could remove the baby from that place of abuse?'' "Yes.'' "If you told Roshea that, that's precisely what she would do.'' "I guess.'' "By you not letting the mother or the doctor know about it, you protected him.'' "I guess.'' Mr. Calhoun referred to expert medical evidence that the fracture to Saed's collar bone happened on the morning of August 26 and he would be screaming in agony. Tuzo was with him all day and would be able to hear him from any part of the house.

Mr. Calhoun said: "I suggest he was screaming, not just crying, with a broken bone like that and you would have heard the screaming.'' "He was quiet.'' "The head injuries would have been around four hours before he was admitted to hospital and there was no screaming?'' "No.'' "Quite frankly, on this evidence of you not hearing crying from a child suffering a multiple blow injury, you're not telling the truth.'' "I am telling the truth.'' Mr. Calhoun suggested Tuzo was "in denial'' about what happened, particularly on Tuesday, because it was so unpleasant. She disagreed.

Earlier, Tuzo agreed she would not expect the child to be returned to the abuser. Mr. Calhoun said: "But you did. You kept the baby there every day to go through this kind of treatment because you loved Jermaine and didn't want to send him away.'' "I also loved Saed.'' "You loved Pearman enough to let Saed stay and take these licks every day.'' "No.'' "Then you must have loved Pearman a lot to keep him around while he's doing this day after day after day to Saed.'' Tuzo accepted she had a duty to protect the baby from abuse. Mr. Calhoun asked: "Was it a breach of Roshea Young's trust in you that you allowed her child to stay day after day receiving this kind of treatment from Pearman?'' "Yes.'' "Are you accepting that if someone picks up your baby, an adult male, and starts shaking your baby in anger and frustration that that would be a danger to your baby's health?'' "Yes.'' "If on top of not only doing that, he was pulling the baby by an arm then shoving his head back to the pillows many times, that would be a risk to their health.'' "Yes.'' "You knew these things were happening at that time.'' "Yes.'' When examined by her lawyer Philip Perinchief, Tuzo said she did not believe Pearman's actions had harmed the child.

When asked what she would have done if she had seen any harm, she said: "I would have taken him away or sent Jermaine away.'' The defence and prosecution will make closing speeches before Chief Justice Austin Ward on Monday.