Mum tried to murder toddler in chilling Hervey Bay backyard act

An ‘immature’ young mum has landed in jail after attempting to kill her defenceless toddler in a Hervey Bay backyard. WARNING: CONFRONTING

An ‘immature’ young mum has landed in jail after attempting to kill her defenceless toddler in a backyard in Hervey Bay.

The Dalby woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday to one charge of attempted murder (domestic violence offence).

The court heard she attempted to kill her 14-month-old son while her family members slept at a home in Eli Waters on August 14, 2019.

The court heard the young mum, who was 19 at the time, messaged her boyfriend that she intended to kill herself and her son while at home about 1pm on August 13, 2019.

He attempted to dissuade her, but she went on to unsuccessfully attempt suicide.

The young mum was still contemplating suicide at 2am the next day as she sat alone in her backyard.

The court heard she wanted to take her own life but “could not bear” the thought of another woman caring for her son in her absence.

She went inside the home to fetch her son from the bed where he slept next to her aunty and returned outside and tried to kill both him and herself.

The court heard the mum then felt remorse for her actions and began screaming, “someone, please help my baby”.

A neighbour was woken by her screams, called triple-0 and ran over to find her holding the visibly pale child in her arms.

The neighbour took the child and attempted to perform CPR.

The neighbour had to stop the mother from harming herself a second time, before the mother ran to her aunty’s room and collapsed on the floor, crying and screaming.

The court heard the child was rushed to the hospital, where he was on life support for two days suffering asphyxiation and a hypoxic brain injury.

He was eventually discharged on August 28 with no signs of permanent brain injury.

The court heard during her interview with police that the mum said she felt overwhelmed by personal issues.

The court heard a psychiatrist report said the young mum appeared to be “a rather immature teenage girl” with significant borderline and dependant personality traits.

The court heard she had suffered a sexual assault a few weeks before the incident.

The woman’s lawyer told the court his client’s depression and post-traumatic stress disorder had impaired her decision making.

Justice Paul Freeburn sentenced her to five years imprisonment with a fixed parole eligibility date on May 27, 2023. The two days she spent in pre-sentence custody was declared time served under the sentence.