A court in Australia has heard that a 22-year-old man killed a three-year-old girl by standing on her stomach.
The toddler died a day after the incident from the injuries she sustained. According to 9news, the death of the child was initially thought to be accidental before the perpetrator admitted to standing on the child on purpose.
Seven months after the death of the young girl, the man (who weighs 100kg) admitted to standing on the child out of frustration after tripping over her at an earlier point on the day of her death.
After the incident, the man (whose name is being withheld) reportedly told the child to lie to her mother and say that she had a stomach ache. However, the next day the child became extremely pale and tragically died as a result of a ruptured liver and internal bleeding.
The man’s lawyer, Kerri Judd, told the Australian court,
“In frustration, he turned her around and stepped on her stomach with one foot. He took his other foot off the ground, thereby putting his entire weight on her.”
The little girl’s mother was reportedly excused from the court on numerous occasions as the hearing became too much for her. She told the court of the devastating effects her daughter’s death has had on her,
“I was lied to for seven months when he knew the truth. I no longer trust anyone after being betrayed like this.”
The toddler’s biological father also told the court that he has suffered with severe anxiety and said he has lost a substantial amount of weight since his daughter’s death.
The un-named offender, who has pleaded guilty to child homicide, will be sentenced on February 24th.
