Little Jimmy’s uncle was in long-running dispute with brother as he is charged with criminal neglect

The uncle of a toddler who was found with severe burns and traces of meth in his urine had been evicted by his mother over a dispute with his brother.

Rodney David Clough, 40, and his partner Emma Jade Short, 34, have been charged with criminal neglect following allegations that they assaulted two-year-old Jimmy.

The pair faced court on Monday, where it was heard that Jimmy suffered severe burns after he was reportedly submerged in boiling water and bruised his neck after allegedly grabbing the shirt.

The court heard that Short is Jimmy’s mother, while Clough is his uncle.

Details of Clough’s troubled past have since emerged, revealing that he was arguing with his younger brother, Jimmy’s father.

Clough complained in a Facebook post on June 25 about his broken relationship with his family, saying it prompted his mother to evict him.

“So my mom won’t let me live where I was because my younger brother has a problem with me, so she let my stuff out and said I don’t live there anymore,” he wrote.

“Now I’m contacting my brother by courier and again he doesn’t answer, mommy does and tells me to leave Rex alone, he didn’t do what you’re accusing him of and then leave it alone.

“Well, Mama Mabey, let your sons figure it out for themselves and stop taking sides, because you chose a side that made me and you fight and ruin the little life we ​​ever had.”

Jimmy spent 10 days in hospital receiving treatment for his injuries before being released on Thursday.

The court heard that Short took her unconscious son to the Blair Athol Medical Clinic on Aug. 8, with the toddler suffering severe burns and bruises after staying at the nearby Comfort Inn Manhattan hotel.

Forensic pediatricians told the court that the child’s injuries indicated that he had been submerged in boiling water.

Short told police at the clinic that her son was burned when he accidentally turned on a sink faucet Adelaide Advertiser reported.

The court heard that she immediately turned on the cold water when she saw steam pouring from the sink.

Forensic pediatricians told the court that the bruises on the child’s neck were likely caused by someone grabbing the toddler’s shirt.

Prosecutors said traces of methamphetamine were found in the two-year-old’s system and that they are conducting an investigation to determine whether the boy suffered brain damage “from lack of oxygen as a result of immersion in water,” the court said. heard.

Short told police in a formal interview that her son had been injured while in Clough’s care.

She said she left the couple and returned to find a ‘paniced’ Clough and her son unconscious on the bed, the court heard.

While pleading for house arrest on bail, Short’s attorney, Vageli Dimou, argued that her second account of the story was “truthful.”

“She says she was confused by the situation and upset, and that she was essentially protecting herself because of the nature of this relationship with the co-defendant,” he said.

“When questioned for the second time with the police, she says she is telling truthfully what happened and that she was not aware of what happened to the child.

“Had she known, she wouldn’t have left him in the care of (Mr Clough).

“She wants to know what happened to her child—which seems to have happened to her child repeatedly—that caused these injuries.”

Short was denied bail because she is considered a ‘flight risk’ after allegedly talking about fleeing the state on a bus to NSW with Clough, who had reportedly already booked a ticket, the court heard.

Short will hear the outcome of her bail later this month, while Clough must remain in custody until his next hearing, scheduled for December.