Child killer gets 10 years in prison
I am so fucking pissed of just after hearing this news a few mins ago, so fucking pissed of, This piece of shit should be killed how can anyone in their right mind jail this guy for 10 years
THE grandmother of a little boy bashed to death by his mother's fiance says his killer should have received a life sentence rather than the 10-year minimum imposed by a judge.
Jane McMaster said the fact that five-year-old Cody Hutchings' killer Stuart John McMaster, 30, could be free in ten years, was an injustice to Cody and his family.
"The finding today has devastated us, for myself, Cody's nanny this finding is just unacceptable, and on behalf of Cody's dad, Chris, his brother Christian, and all his aunties and uncles, we feel the justice system is not hard enough in cases like these," Ms McMaster said outside the Supreme Court.
Stuart McMaster pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the Hoppers Crossing toddler after a jury failed to agree on a verdict for murder.
The Supreme Court was told the toddler suffered more than 160 bruises to his body, two separate fractures to his skull and tears to his liver and other internal organs, which led to his death on March 25 last year.
McMaster admitted to routinely smacking, striking and strapping the boy with a reinforced leather belt in the weeks leading to his death.
Jane McMaster said that despite manslaughter carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years jail in Victoria, McMaster deserved to rot in jail for the rest of his life.
"As the cliche says, an eye for an eye, it should be life for life," she said.
"Someone has to take a stand for all children, I don't want this to ever happen again, but unfortunately it is, be aware before it's too late."
Ms McMaster, who was wearing a T-shirt bearing a picture of a smiling Cody, described the toddler as a loving little boy.
"(He Was) an absolutely gorgeous little boy, very loveable, beautiful, a very happy little boy," she said.
"It's just inhumane for anyone to be able to do this to a defenceless little boy."
Stuart McMaster was sentenced to 12-½ jail for Cody's manslaughter. He was sentenced to a further six months' jail for assaulting Cody's mother, Belinda McMaster.
Judge David Harper ordered McMaster serve a minimum 13 years jail, with a non-parole period of 10 years.
"You were in a position of trust, and of power. You abused both, at the cost of a young child's life," Justice Harper said.
"The death of a child as the result of an assault by a mature adult in the context of a sustained period of abuse is an affront to any civilised comunity."
McMaster cut a deal to confess to his stepson's manslaughter after a jury failed to agree on a verdict on a murder charge.
The plea bargain outraged Cody's father, Chris Hutchings.
McMaster told police he had struck Cody - a slow developer who suffered from a condition known as Williams syndrome - up to 25 times on the day of his death with an open hand and a leather strap.
His lawyer had told the court McMaster showered Cody with affection and Christmas presents, and had tried to resuscitate the boy on the day he died.
But a pathologist concluded Cody died as a result of blunt force trauma to the abdomen, likely caused by a series of forceful punches or knees to the boy's stomach.
THE grandmother of a little boy bashed to death by his mother's fiance says his killer should have received a life sentence rather than the 10-year minimum imposed by a judge.
Jane McMaster said the fact that five-year-old Cody Hutchings' killer Stuart John McMaster, 30, could be free in ten years, was an injustice to Cody and his family.
"The finding today has devastated us, for myself, Cody's nanny this finding is just unacceptable, and on behalf of Cody's dad, Chris, his brother Christian, and all his aunties and uncles, we feel the justice system is not hard enough in cases like these," Ms McMaster said outside the Supreme Court.
Stuart McMaster pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the Hoppers Crossing toddler after a jury failed to agree on a verdict for murder.
The Supreme Court was told the toddler suffered more than 160 bruises to his body, two separate fractures to his skull and tears to his liver and other internal organs, which led to his death on March 25 last year.
McMaster admitted to routinely smacking, striking and strapping the boy with a reinforced leather belt in the weeks leading to his death.
Jane McMaster said that despite manslaughter carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years jail in Victoria, McMaster deserved to rot in jail for the rest of his life.
"As the cliche says, an eye for an eye, it should be life for life," she said.
"Someone has to take a stand for all children, I don't want this to ever happen again, but unfortunately it is, be aware before it's too late."
Ms McMaster, who was wearing a T-shirt bearing a picture of a smiling Cody, described the toddler as a loving little boy.
"(He Was) an absolutely gorgeous little boy, very loveable, beautiful, a very happy little boy," she said.
"It's just inhumane for anyone to be able to do this to a defenceless little boy."
Stuart McMaster was sentenced to 12-½ jail for Cody's manslaughter. He was sentenced to a further six months' jail for assaulting Cody's mother, Belinda McMaster.
Judge David Harper ordered McMaster serve a minimum 13 years jail, with a non-parole period of 10 years.
"You were in a position of trust, and of power. You abused both, at the cost of a young child's life," Justice Harper said.
"The death of a child as the result of an assault by a mature adult in the context of a sustained period of abuse is an affront to any civilised comunity."
McMaster cut a deal to confess to his stepson's manslaughter after a jury failed to agree on a verdict on a murder charge.
The plea bargain outraged Cody's father, Chris Hutchings.
McMaster told police he had struck Cody - a slow developer who suffered from a condition known as Williams syndrome - up to 25 times on the day of his death with an open hand and a leather strap.
His lawyer had told the court McMaster showered Cody with affection and Christmas presents, and had tried to resuscitate the boy on the day he died.
But a pathologist concluded Cody died as a result of blunt force trauma to the abdomen, likely caused by a series of forceful punches or knees to the boy's stomach.
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