Mother allegedly admitted to drowning son, court hears

An ice-addict mother accused of killing her five-year-old son and trying to drown another in the Murray River told a stranger she should be dead, a court has heard.

A soaking wet and inconsolable mother told a stranger “I just want a bullet, I should be dead” shortly after she allegedly admitted to drowning her son, a court heard.

The 28-year-old psychotic ice addict, who cannot be named, was seen floating on her back down the Murray River shortly after she allegedly killed her five-year-old son and tried to force his eight-year-old brother underwater at Moama last year.

The trio had set off for the river near Perricoota Road with fishing gear on March 2 but that night the mother walked into a nearby resort drenched, bleeding, crying and repeatedly saying “I had to drown my babies”, the Crown alleges.

Police searching for the body of the five-year-old boy in the Murray River at Moama. Picture: Riverine Herald

The 28-year-old mother was seen floating on her back down the river, a court has heard. Picture: Ivy Wise/ Riverine Herald.

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In a statement, the hotel’s owner Michael Falzon said the mum asked to be driven to the police station, adding she also tried to take her own life.

Mr Falzon said the woman told him “I just want a bullet, I should be dead” and added “I had to do it”.

The older boy who escaped was viciously mauled by a dog on the riverbank and told his rescuer “I think I’m the only survivor”, the NSW Supreme Court heard.

“He was screaming and naked … the young boy was covered in blood,” Justice Richard Button said while reading out another witness statement in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The Deniliquin woman, who is in custody, has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempt to drown a person with intent to murder, arguing she was mentally ill and could not stop herself despite knowing her actions were wrong.

Defence barrister Eric Wilson SC said his delusional client thought she was saving her kids from a worse fate at the hands of an ex boyfriend she hadn’t had contact with since 2016.

The Deniliquin woman has pleaded not guilty to murder. Picture: Riverine Herald

Prosecutor Max Pincott said the older brother, who needed multiple surgeries from his life-threatening injuries, told police at Echuca hospital: “My mum told me to put my head in and she dunked me”.

“I started to suffocate because she was hopping on me and then I got out and mum dunked my brother and the dog started biting me,” the boy allegedly said.

Her youngest child’s body was found 250 metres downstream two days later following a large-scale search operation.

His distraught mother rocked side to side while constantly playing with her hair and her own mum had to leave the court as harrowing eye witness statements were read out by the judge at the Wagga Wagga trial.

The mother had only been released one month earlier from a year-long prison stint for break and enter and had stopped taking her antipsychotic medication, the court heard.

Instead she smoked methamphetamine a fortnight before her child’s death to celebrate her birthday, the defence says.

The five-year-old’s body was found 250 metres downstream two days later. Picture: riverine Herald

But there were no drugs or alcohol detected in her system at the time of the alleged killing, Mr Wilson said.

The day before the tragedy the mother turned up to a community health centre sobbing and reporting feeling paranoid that people were watching her from the trees.

The chronic drug addict told a worker she’d prefer to set fire to her grandmother’s home than return there with her boys because they were in danger, the court heard.

An apprehended violence order had been taken out against the mother banning her from being near the children’s grandmother — with whom they were staying at the time — within 24 hours of getting drunk or high.

On the day of the tragedy the mother allegedly made a chilling final phone call to the grandmother from the Victorian town of Goornong, warning her “they are coming to get us, you won’t see us anymore”.

The week-long judge alone trial continues.