A mother who killed her
three-year-old son "because he looked like his father" has been
sentenced to at least 33 years in jail, while her partner has been given a
prison sentence of at least 30 years.
The toddler, known as Joseph,
suffered extreme abuse at the hands of his mother and step-father. After
months of abuse, the child died from extensive and horrific injuries to
his head and body in the town of Oberon in New South Wales' central west.
The child's 43-year-old
mother and her 48-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal
reasons, were found guilty of murder in the New South Wales Supreme Court in
April. The court was told the mother admitted to police that she had
thoughts about killing her son because she "just didn't connect with
him".
Joseph's mother and stepfather did
horrible things to him. In one instance, his eyes were taped closed with duct
tape because he was staring at them. He had been hit with a spoon and, in
another instance, forced into an esky cooler for ice baths in a bid to bring
out his bruises. In the days before his death, Joseph's mother jammed his
head in a wardrobe door and punched him in the head.
"Don't get me wrong I did love
that boy ... but there was a part of me that hated him ... because he looked
like his father, because he's his father's child," she told police.
Detective Sergeant Joel Fawkner
from NSW Police said the level of torture Joseph sufferes was "very
traumatic" and "inhumane". He said officers had quit the force
after being involved with the "dreadful" case and added, "you
can't unsee what we've seen."
In sentencing, Justice Peter
Johnson said: "Rather than nurturing her son, LN punished him as if
he was in some way responsible for the sins of his father. This was a grotesque
and cruel feature of LN's conduct towards her son."
Justice Johnson said Joseph was
vulnerable.
"By the time of the final
assault causing death I am satisfied that Joseph had been worn down physically
and psychologically by the assaults upon him so as to render him more
vulnerable to the final and fatal attack," he said.
Speaking to Joseph's extended
family who were in court, Justice Johnson told them it was not their fault.
He said: "In my view the
extended family members should not in any way blame themselves for what
happened. It is a measure of their decency and compassion that they have
reacted to these events in this way. Each of them provided care, love and
support to Joseph while he lived with them in Sydney for several years."
Justice Johnson said the jail terms
were "de facto life sentences".
"If Joseph had continued to be
raised with the extended family in Sydney in 2014 there is every reason to
believe he would have grown into a fine young man," he said.
Outside court, the dead child's
uncle said he was pleased with the sentences.
"The judge dished out the
appropriate punishment, as far as I can see," he said.
The uncle said he did not believe
the child's mother and her partner had an understanding of what they had done.
"All through the court
process, I haven't seen any remorse or any behaviour that would suggest they
were upset by this whole ordeal," he said.
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