No one can forget the heinous crime where a 22 old month toddler, Mason Lee died after facing a traumatic condition. His mother, Anne Maree-Lee, failed badly from saving the small child from her boyfriend, William Andrew O’Sullivan. William brutally punched the toddler in the stomach that badly ruptured the toddler’s intestines. The incident is of June 2016, attempted in the couple’s then Queensland residence. The disturbing details that were recently revealed in front of a Brisbane court will shock you.
Heinous Crime
On Thursday, the Brisbane Court in Australia has heard that Mason faced “impaired levels of consciousness (and) altered breathing patterns.” Terribly, before death, he was dehydrated, feverish, lethargic, and pale, as the Daily Mail report suggests.
Megan Jarvis, the counsel who was assisting the coroner, said that “It would have been obvious to any normal person he was very sick and in urgent need of medical attention.”
The reports also claimed that Mason was neglected throughout his short life and was subjected to mistreatment. Reportedly in his last days, he was vomiting drastically and crying in agony. Eventually, “slowly and painfully,” he inched towards death in the coming days. The cruelty was at the extent where he was made to die with blue lips in a towel he was wrapped with. Court even heard that methamphetamine traces were found in his blood samples.
On the other hand, it was not only Mason’s stepfather who emerged as monstrous to him. But the child protection servicers didn’t treat him in the way they should. Queensland government’s child safety department was not oblivious to the fact of how the toddler was getting treated in his house. But that doesn’t prompt them to take Mason in their custody from his mother and stepfather.
Child Was Hospitalized For Three Weeks
Notably, in the previous session of the court, the hearing was about Mason being treated for the multiple injuries he received. Months before his death, he was hospitalized for at least three weeks in February 2016. He was admitted to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital. Back then in the hearing, Anne’s boyfriend has put all blame of Mason’s death on the paramedics’ delayed response. But it came out that the paramedics responded to the address within six minutes only.
What About The Negligence Of Child Safety Officers?
The next hearing will be possibly held in November or December. Next, the court will go through the details of “what was going on the minds and hearts” of the child safety officers who tasked with the protection of Mason.
Jarvis, in the matter, stated that “An ethical standards investigation into the actions and decisions of individual child safety officers following Mason’s death was critical of a number of the officers involved.” “(It found) deficiencies in the way they investigated, assessed, and made decisions about the risk of harm to Mason and the steps required to protect him from future harm.”
Further, his words were, “Whilst it may be easy to point to evidence of non-compliance with policies and procedures. It is more difficult to go behind those issues. To understand what was going on the minds and hearts of those individuals at the relevant time.”
The Accused Couple Is Already Facing Nine-Year Jail Term
To the oblivions, it should be known that the couple is already facing a nine-year jail term. It was awarded them as before five months of Mason’s death he received leg and anus injuries. But they haven’t sought any help for his treatment. The state government has even appealed to push their parole eligibility dates forwards.