Mason Lee death: Caboolture toddler’s mother refused bail
POLICE allege little Mason Lee died of extensive internal injuries as his mother, charged with his manslaughter, faces court today.
THE mother of a one-year-old Queensland boy who died of horrific internal injuries will remain in jail after being refused bail over her son’s death.
Anne-Marie Lee, 27, was one of three people charged on Friday with the manslaughter of Mason Jet Lee, who was found dead at his home in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, on June 11.
He had suffered horrific, head-to-toe injuries that are believed to have been inflicted by Lee’s partner, Andrew O’Sullivan, 37.
Lee fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday morning, where she was refused bail.
She will remain in jail until her next court appearance on August 16.
Her court appearance came two days after O’Sullivan appeared before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday, where he was also remanded in custody to reappear on August 8.
He made no application for bail.
A third person charged with the boy’s manslaughter, Ryan Robert Barry Hodson, 17, also made an unsuccessful bail bid on Monday morning.
The teenager appeared in Caboolture Magistrates Court, where he was remanded in custody until September 28.
Police will allege the trio failed to provide adequate care to Mason in the lead-up to his death.
It’s likely the toddler died long before an emergency call was made to paramedics.
Speaking to the media ahead of O’Sullivan’s court appearance on Saturday, Detective Inspector Paul Schmidt said Mason died of extensive internal injuries, including a ruptured small intestine.
“Police will be alleging that the child died as a result of peritonitis due to a ruptured duodenum,” he said.
He said investigators also suspected Mason had been subjected to ongoing campaign of abuse in the lead-up to his death.
“The injuries sustained by the child would have been obvious, would have been deteriorating and would’ve been significant over a period of time leading up to his death,” he said.
“Police will allege that the three people who have been charged with manslaughter would’ve been in a position to know he was medically unwell and required medical attention, and failed to provide reasonable medical care.”
However, he said, detectives were yet to ascertain how the injuries were caused.
In addition to the homicide investigation, the Queensland government launched its own probe into Mason’s death, after it emerged he was released from hospital despite suffering a litany of unexplained injuries including a broken leg and ruptured bowel.
Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman described the boy’s death as a tragedy but declined to comment on whether a backlog of child welfare cases led to a lack of action by department staff.
Police investigating the boy’s death have called the case “complex and detailed”.
Mason lived with his mother, but it is not clear if he was with her in the days leading to his death.
She told Seven News in the wake of his death she wanted justice for her son.
“It’s so bad, I can’t understand it,” she said.
“He was just beautiful, he was, just so gentle.”
“I want answers, I want justice for my son.”
kim.stephens@news.com.au