Coronial inquest into the death of seven-month-old Bodhi John Graham in Aberdeen

There’ll be an inquest into the tragic death of a seven-month-old baby boy in the Upper Hunter last year, who suffered significant injuries and couldn’t be revived.

The tragic death of a seven-month-old baby boy in the Upper Hunter will be subject to a coronial inquest.

Bodhi John Graham was rushed from his family home in Aberdeeen to Muswellbrook Hospital unresponsive on the afternoon of May 16 last year.

The child had suffered significant injuries and despite the best efforts of hospital staff, he was unable to be revived.

Police launched an investigation into the child’s suspicious death, an autopsy was conducted, but cause of death is yet to be known.

Baby Bodhi John who tragically died after being rushed to Muswellbrook Hospital unresponsive. Credit: Facebook

Police investigating the death of the child at Aberdeen.. Picture: Amy Ziniak

The boyfriend of the mother’s child, Ashley Morgan, was at the time a key suspect in the child’s death and police set up a large scale operation south east of Tamworth hunting his whereabouts.

A search concentrated on the village of Nundle, on the western edge of the Barrington Tops, between Scone and Tamworth, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

The 35-year-old, who was also on outstanding warrants, was found days later and arrested on the New England Highway at a vehicle stop in Muswellbrook.

Morgan has not been charged in relation to the child’s death.

An inquest into the child’s death has been listed in the NSW Coroners Court and is likely to go ahead sometime early next year. A date has yet to be scheduled.

Ashley Morgan, from Muswellbrook was a suspect in the baby’s death. He has not been charged in relation to the death. Credit: Facebook

Morgan’s arrest in May last year. Credit: NSW Police

Morgan has however been charged with assaulting the boy’s mother on two separate occasions in May last year.

He pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and damaging property where the court heard he struck the woman to the face over a disagreement and she sustained a black eye.

He was jailed in Muswellbrook Local Court in October for two years, with a non-parole period of one year.

A severity appeal was lodged and Morgan appeared at Newcastle District Court on Tuesday to fight the severity of the sentence.

The court heard he was “sorry” for his actions and was “not proud of what I’ve done”, defence barrister Steve Torpey telling Judge Kate Triall he was motivated to change and had undertaken a variety of domestic violence and drug addiction programs while in custody.

But Judge Triall was wary of his prospects of rehabilitation indicating she was considering a ‘parker warning’ to impose a harsher penalty.

“I think the sentence imposed, given the facts, is lenient,” she said.

Following that, the severity appeal was withdrawn and formally dismissed.