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Mother claims to have no memory of the moment she violently killed her five-month-old baby boy.

Yesterday a WA Supreme Court judge said the boy’s death had obviously been caused by a “significant degree of violence and trauma”, which had left the extended family devastated and Bulloch’s other two children without their mother, reports The West Australian.

But he also said that, belatedly, Bulloch had finally accepted responsibility for her crime, after police spent 10 months listening in to her conversations and phone calls in a bid to prove she had inflicted the injuries on Lochlan’s battered body.

“He was extremely vulnerable and was dependent on you for his safety … and despite your lack of recollection of critical events, Lochlan must have met his death at your hands,” Justice John Chaney said.

The court was told that child protection authorities were aware of the dysfunction surrounding Lochlan, which had included having cannabis smoke blown into his face, being left in a car, and suspicions he had been shaken and sworn at.

“I’m beyond sorry for what has occurred and I wish I could take it back,” Bulloch wrote. “My son deserved to live, love, laugh and experience, but this was taken from him. He did not deserve what happened.”

Justice Chaney sentenced her to eight years jail, with eligibility for parole after six years. With time already served, Bulloch could be released as early as December 2020.

Previous news on this story…

Baby Lochlan was only five months old when he suffered massive brain injuries, extensive bruising to his head and was also found to have methamphetamine in his system, a court has been told.

Melissa Louise Bulloch, 27, admitted the manslaughter of her infant son, Lochlan, who has was found dead at a Hamilton Hill address in January 2014.

At a sentencing hearing in WA’s Supreme Court today, the full extent of the injuries to the baby were revealed for the first time, reports The West Australian.

It was also revealed that police listened to Bulloch’s phone calls and conversations for nearly ten months before charging her over the death. She pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo described the mother’s abuse of the young child in the months before he died, including having cannabis smoke blown into his face, being left in a car for long periods, being shaken and sworn at.

Department of Child Protection were involved with the family, the court was told, but Lochlan was still in his mother’s care on the night he died.

Bulloch was heard by police saying several times that she was sorry for killing the infant.

“I’m sorry for killing you my sweetheart …. that freaked me out,” she said in the April after Lochlan’s death.

Defence lawyer Ian Hope said Bulloch had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was in a mental health crisis at the time of the baby’s death.

Mr Hope told the court that fatigue, stress and Bulloch’s mental condition had combined into a sudden act of violence, which she could not remember because of amnesia.

He said his client had written a letter to the court which expressed her sorrow at the loss of her “special little boy”.

There must be something we can do to stop these horrible drug induced murders. If the government can threaten to fine parents for kids skipping school, surely they can take payments of families involved with drugs. There has to be a way of monitoring closer. Department of Child Protection needs a really good shake up.

We can’t help but think of little Mason Lee at this time as well. Far too many deaths that could have been prevented.

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Image via The West Australian

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  • How can she admit to something that she has no memory of?

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  • What a gorgeous angel. She needs help and should be placed in mental health institution for the remainder of her life.to be able to do that to a helpless baby you really do need to have illness.

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  • Adults in such a medical situation should be given food and utility vouchers in leiu of money into the bank accounts. The Govts in each state need to set up staffed emergency housing for children who need to be removed from their parents until alternative arrangements can be made. Grandparents or other relatives may be a suitable option. Govt. approved Supervised access visits only with children at risk.

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  • so sad. there does need to be something to prevent these types of monsters reproducing.

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  • Such a beautiful baby too :(

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  • Poor baby. I too hope this woman is never released and never allowed to have another child.

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  • So sad to read this. Do hope this woman never has another child.

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  • I agree with the lady below. Once someone does something like this then they should not be allowed to have more children. Having children is a blessing and if you abuse that then it should be taken away from you to make sure you are unable to give birth to more children you may abuse.

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  • So upsetting why do people hurt their babies? This person needs to be sterilized. Rip sweet baby

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  • So sad indeed !
    Don’t understand when mum had been diagnosed with Borderline personality disorder and in a mental health crisis and when Department of Child Protection were already involved with the family, this child was still in mothers care.

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  • So sad. Rip little one.

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  • That’s terrible, poor little baby, if only babies could talk! I hope he finds peace in heaven. Rip

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  • R.I.P Mason Lee,you should have had a wonderful life but your mother destroyed it.

    Reply

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