4 days ago
Child molester ‘drives 8cm nail into girl's skull to silence her'
A child molester has been accused of driving an 8cm iron nail into a girl's skull in an attempt to silence her.
The seven-year-old's mother told doctors in India that her daughter was abused by an unidentified man who then pierced the nail through her mouth, penetrating her palate and brain.
The police have opened an investigation.
The girl, from a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, is expected to make a full recovery and was discharged from the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow city on Monday.
Dr Samir Misra, a surgeon at KGMU, told The Telegraph that the nail had entered through the girl's lower jaw and neck before reaching her cranial cavity, narrowly missing major arteries.
'This was an extraordinarily complex case where the child's life was in serious jeopardy,' said Dr Misra. 'It took us four hours to remove the nail that was touching the brain and it was dangerously close to vital blood vessels.
'Our team worked meticulously to avoid any damage to the brain and sensitive nerves between the mouth and the brain,' the doctor, who works in the hospital's trauma surgery department, added.
In the early hours of May 16, the patient was referred to KGMU, where a specialist team conducted examinations including CT scans.
Clinical evaluation and imaging revealed the nail's path through several high-risk anatomical zones.
Dr Misra described the child's condition on arrival as precarious. 'Her blood pressure was dangerously low. She was in shock, possibly septic or neurological, and required immediate resuscitation.'
The team transfused blood to treat her anaemia, which they suspect may have been pre-existing due to malnutrition.
After surgery the girl initially did not respond as expected, and doctors were especially concerned about the risk of infection and meningitis given that the iron nail was probably contaminated.
But after intensive antibiotic care and close monitoring, the child stabilised and recovered without developing serious infections or neurological complications.
'She is now walking, talking and doing remarkably well,' Dr Misra said. 'There is some mild weakness, possibly due to her long hospital stay, but we expect a full recovery.'
Following the surgery, the girl was placed in a paediatric intensive care and kept under close observation for 10 days.
On May 29 she was fully conscious and responding well. 'She has shown remarkable resilience,' Dr Misra said. 'There are no neurological defects and we believe she will go on to live a normal life.'
