A mother has been jailed for eight years for killing her five-month-old son, who died with methylamphetamines in his system.
Melissa Louise Bulloch, 27, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her son, Lochlan, who was found dead at his Hamilton Hill home, southwest of Perth, in January 2014. She claims she does not remember killing her son.
The baby had suffered severe brain injures and bruising to his head and neck. The boy also had meth in his system when he died.
Ms Bulloch showed no emotion as she was sentenced in the West Australian Supreme Court on Monday.
Justice John Chaney said Ms Bulloch’s conduct involved a significant degree of violence and trauma on an extremely vulnerable child who depended on her for his safety. He said Ms Bulloch’s drug use was out of control that affected her parenting, causing her to act impulsively and unpredictably.
Previously, prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo told the court that Ms Bulloch had abused the infant in the months leading up to his death, which included having cannabis smoke blown into his face, being left in a car and being shaken and sworn at.
The court heard that the Department for Child Protection was also involved with the family and police listened to Ms Bulloch’s phone calls and conversations after the baby’s death, which included a conversation where she said: “‘I’m sorry Lochlan … for killing you, my sweetheart. That freaked me out.'”
In a letter read to the court, Ms Bulloch said she was sorry for what happened and wished she could take it back.
Ms Bulloch had her sentence backdated to December 2014 when she was taken into custody and will be eligible for parole in December 2020.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
