Joseph McDonald, 23 years old, was today sentenced to nine years behind bars in the Supreme Court of Victoria, for a total of six years and eight months, after pleading guilty to the murder of his infant son Lucas on 29 October last year.
Benalla’s father shook the baby five days ago, becoming irritated that Lucas would not stop crying, knocking his head on the ground so hard that he sustained a catastrophic head injury.
McDonald then put the baby back in his rocker and returned to play a video game until he fell asleep.
Mother Samantha Duckmanton was washing dishes in the kitchen when she learned that Lucas was making a “high-pitched cry”
She asked McDonald if that was Lucas, and he said, “Yep, I’m just swaddling him”
The baby was initially admitted to Benalla hospital in the north-eastern state with life-threatening injuries before being moved to Monash Children’s Hospital.
Benalla’s 23-year-old man initially lied to his wife and physicians about what had happened, delaying the diagnosis of blunt force trauma.
Judge Stephen Kaye, in his sentencing speech today, said that the “spontaneous outburst of anger” triggered the infant’s death, which justified a serious penalty.
“As a result of your actions, Lucas will never grow out of childhood, he will never experience his teenage years, or mature into adulthood,” he said.
“Your senseless and irresponsible act of angry violence deprived him of his most basic right, his right to life.”
The court learned McDonald suffered from anger management problems, compounded by his addiction to cannabis and video games.
The judge said it was clear that McDonald was young, inexperienced and could not cope with the burden of raising two very young children at the time of the crime.
He suspected, however that McDonald had experienced some guilt for the death of his son.
“He deserved to be treated with the tenderness, love and care that any baby should receive,” Judge Kaye said.
son’s death.
“He deserved to be treated with the tenderness, love and care that any baby should receive,” Judge Kaye said.
“Instead, by your actions, you took his life from him, and, by doing, you have inflicted irreparable pain and grief on those who loved him.
The grieving family told 9News that the child’s murderer was “absolutely devastated” and should be released in just over five-and-a-half years, as McDonald had been in prison for more than 400 days.
“He took away my grandson, he took away my daughter’s son and Ollie’s brother forever and all he gets is five years,” said Grandma Sharon Mills.
“Then he gets out and starts a new family and starts his new life…how fair is that?”
” Ms. Duckmanton said last week that she wished she could protect her son.
“I couldn’t protect him because I trusted Joseph … I loved him,” she said.
“He doesn’t have the right to the title of being a dad as far as I’m concerned, so I think that will be his life sentence.”