Man goes on trial for death of seven-year-old boy at Oatley, Sydney

THE death of a seven-year-old boy was passed off as an accident after he supposedly fell from a pogo stick. But police say it was murder.

Photo

WHEN a seven-year-old boy from Sydney died, it was first explained that he was fatally injured falling from a pogo stick.

He was found dead after playing at his home in Oatley, in southern Sydney, in May 2013 and his mother told police she believed he had hit his head after falling from a pogo stick the previous day.

But police allege the boy’s death was no accident and charged his mother’s boyfriend with murder.

The 31-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will today go on trial at the New South Wales Supreme Court for the child’s murder.

The boy’s mother, 27, was sentenced to 14 years jail in June, after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

An autopsy revealed the boy — who was said to be “softly spoken and shy” by teachers — had injuries including skull fractures and a subdural haemorrhage, which were considered unlikely to have come from a fall from a pogo stick.

As well as murder, the man is charged with common assault, inciting an act of indecency, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The Oatley home where the boy was found dead in May 2013.

The 31-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will today go on trial for the child’s murder.

Originally published as Man goes on trial for death of seven-year-old boy at Oatley, Sydney