Teenager who fractured baby’s skull in Alice Springs home invasion has sentence suspended

A teenager who fractured a baby’s skull with a metal fridge handle during a violent home invasion in Alice Springs has avoided jail after being handed a two-year suspended sentence.

The then-17-year-old, along with a 16-year-old, broke into a Bokhara St home in Larapinta on Decemeber 11, 2024.

Nicole Siguenza was cradling her two-month-old daughter Antonia when the two masked youths lunged at her.

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The teenagers had been hiding behind the kitchen counter in the Alice Springs home before launching the attack.

The then-17-year-old targeted the mother-of-five with a blunt weapon, striking her and her baby.

The blow deflected off Siguenza and hit Antonia, causing the baby to be left with a fractured skull and brain bleed.

Both were airlifted to Adelaide’s Women and Children’s Hospital with Antonia in a critical condition.

A GoFundMe was started to help with the burden of the family being separated.

Nicole and Marlon Siguenza. Credit: Supplied

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, served 10 months in custody before being released under a community corrections order.

On September 16, Justice Sonia Brownhill ruled the teenager was eligible for rehabilitation, ordering him to serve his sentence at a facility in Alice Springs.

The court heard the teenager will spend 12 hours a week working on a “project”, the NT News reported.

The NT Department of Public Prosecutions confirmed on Friday it would not appeal the sentence, despite spending weeks considering the option.

The second teenager, now aged 17, was jailed for two years in August.

He did not strike the mother or child but had a lengthy criminal history, including absconding from bail while awaiting trial.

He will be eligible for parole in September 2026.

Both teenagers pleaded guilty to theft, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, and unlawfully causing serious harm.