Father admits killing seven-week-old baby whose cries interrupted his video game
A Victorian mother of a seven-week-old baby shaken to death by his father says he has no right to consider himself a parent.
Joseph McDonald today pleaded guilty to child homicide for killing his infant son Lucas by shaking him, placing him back in his rocker, and then returning to play a video game before falling asleep.
"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," Sam Duckmanton, Lucas' mother said.
Lucas' mother says she wished she could have protected her baby boy. Nine
McDonald was charged with the murder of the young baby in November last year.
The videogame addict became frustrated when Lucas' crying interrupted the game.
"The noise of Lucas crying because he was in the same lounge room, was interrupting his game ... he couldn't concentrate on his game," Lucas' grandmother Sharon Mills said.
"He couldn't play his game, so he broke."
Baby Lucas died from severe injuries. Nine
McDonald shook Lucas, knocking his head on the ground so hard he sustained catastrophic head injuries on October 24 last year.
The 23-year-old Benalla man lied to his partner and doctors about what had happened, which delayed the diagnosis of blunt force trauma.
The infant was initially taken to hospital at Benalla in the state's northeast with life-threatening injuries, before being transferred to the Monash Children's hospital.
When scans revealed Lucas' injuries could not have been caused by accident and that he tragically would not survive, McDonald fled the hospital.
He eventually handed himself into police after investigators released footage of him, requesting him to come forward.
Joseph McDonald was shielded by guards after he entered his guilty plea at the Supreme Court. Nine
Ms Duckmanton said her son was perfect in every way possible, and she wished she could have protected her son.
"I couldn't protect him because I trusted Joseph ... I loved him," she said.
McDonald's lawyers say he needs help to address his anger management issues, cannabis use and addiction to violent video games.
He appeared at the Supreme Court in person today where he pleaded guilty to child homicide and is facing up to 20 years in jail.
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