A MOTHER who murdered her three-year-old son because he “looked like his father” has been jailed for 44 years, with a non-parole period of 33 years.
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Justice Peter Johnson also handed the woman’s partner a 40-year sentence [30 years non-parole] in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney on Thursday.
The two, who cannot be identified, were found guilty of murder in April.
The little boy, identified only as Joseph, died on August 6, 2014 after spending just 51 days living with his mother and stepfather in Oberon.
He died from horrific injuries to his head and body after being subjected to ongoing violent abuse.
The mother later admitted to police she had thoughts of killing her son because “she didn’t connect to him”.
The court heard how Joseph’s mother and stepfather had taped shut his eyes with duct tape as “they got sick of him staring”.
They also placed him naked into an ice-filled esky and left him there for five minutes as the stepfather sat on the lid. The court heard Joseph gave an “ear piercing scream” and when he got out of the esky he was curled up.
In an interview with police after his death, Joseph’s mother admitted to detectives she had “so many thoughts about killing Joey, because I loved him, but I just didn’t connect with him””
She also admitted to giving him a solution of salt and water to drink.
She told police Joseph looked “just like his father” and she had wanted to kill his father because he had an affair with another woman.
She also said Joseph “pushed my buttons too many times”.
“Don’t get me wrong, I did love that boy … but there was part of me that hated him,” she told police.
She also described jamming the little boy’s head in a wardrobe door. She said this occurred two nights before August 3, 2014.
The mother said she was angry when she slammed Joseph’s head in the door. He had been awake all night and she had punched him in the head after she jammed his head in the door.
The mother and partner discussed reducing swelling or bruising to Joseph’s body before taking him to the pediatrician because “the shit would hit the fan”.
The mother will be first eligible for parole on September 14, 2047 and her partner on September 16, 2044.