http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/couple-jailed-for-30-years-over-toddle...A NSW mother who claimed her toddler died after tripping over a rope tied to the family dogs has been jailed for at least 33 years for his brutal murder.
Her husband will spend at least 30 years behind bars after the pair was found guilty of murdering three-year-old Joseph after almost two months of abuse at Oberon, near Bathurst, in August 2014.
“This was a terrible crime of child murder,” Justice Peter Johnson said when sentencing the pair at the NSW Supreme Court in Darlinghurst today
During the seven week trial the court heard the little boy – who can be identified today for the first time by his first name Joseph – was systematically abused in the seven weeks leading up to his death by his mother, 42, because he looked like his biological father.
The jury were at times brought to tears as they heard evidence of how the toddler was held captive in ice-filled eskies, beaten with a wooden spoon, gagged with duct tape and had his head slammed in doors.
The boy’s mother had also repeatedly spoken of how she wanted to kill her son and spoke of desires to “pummel” his head with a baseball bat.
During her opening address to the NSW Supreme Court in February, Crown Prosecutor Margaret Cunneen, SC, explained how little Joseph was leading a “happy, healthy, normal” life with his extended family in Sydney before his maternal mother took custody of him and moved him back to a house in Oberon she shared with her new husband.
Within weeks of his arrival, he was dead.
The court heard how on August 3, 2014, the boy’s mother called triple-0 explaining her son was not breathing.
He was flown to hospital after having a cardiac arrest but died a few days later. The court heard at the time of his death he had suffered brain swelling, a number of blunt force injuries and was covered in scabs and bruises.
During an interview with police the mother and stepfather told police the little boy had been playing in a park near their home and had become entangled in two ropes which were attached to the family dogs “Chaos” and “Havoc”.
The mother also confessed to repeatedly abusing her son because he reminded her of his natural father.
It was the Crown case that the boy’s stepfather was also guilty of murder because he was part of a joint criminal enterprise with the mother to abuse and mistreat him.
Ms Cuneen argued the toddler was never taken to the park on the day he lost consciousness.
“It is the Crown case that [the boy]was in no state to be taken to the park that day and this was all a ruse in order to explain what had happened to [him],” Ms Cunneen said.
During the trial the court heard from the deceased toddler’s older brother who told the jury about a time he heard the little boy screaming after being locked inside an ice-filled Esky.
The brother also gave evidence about how he witnessed his little brother desperately trying to rip duct tape off his eyes on one occasion but the mother and stepfather kept sticking it back on.
The mother’s defence barrister told the jury his client maintained her son died as a result of an accident in the park and there was medical evidence that supported her claim.
Both the mother and stepfather maintained their innocence and pleaded not guilty to murder.
thank you Judge at last a sentence to fit this horrendous crime...... I trust they will never be released...
may little Joseph RIP. at least he has a name now..