http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/toddler-killer-collapses-in-court-paramedics-called-in-sentencing-adjourned-20161117-gsresd.html
November 17 2016
Toddler killer collapses in court, paramedics called in, sentencing adjourned
Adam Cooper
A man found to have killed a two-year-old girl when he became angry
that she had urinated on his couch has had his pre-sentence hearing
delayed after collapsing in the dock and requiring medical attention.
Mussie Debresay, 38, previously found guilty of the toddler's
manslaughter, slumped his head back against the wall and gradually
slid down his seat in the Supreme Court on Thursday, before security
officers rolled him onto the floor and onto his side and called
ambulance paramedics.
Murder accused seen stomping on toddler
The court heard today that Mussie Debresay stomped to death his
partners toddler for 'urinating on couch'. Vision courtesy Seven News,
Melbourne.
The court was adjourned while paramedics gave him water and checked
his pulse, as his family members watched on.
Justice Terry Forrest returned to the bench about 15 minutes later,
and adjourned the hearing to a later date.
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At that stage Debresay was sitting up again and appeared able to speak.
Defence counsel Dermot Dann, QC, told Justice Forrest paramedics had
concerns for Debresay, and that his client had previously been
hospitalised while in custody.
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Debresay was in September found guilty of manslaughter, but not guilty
of murder, after stomping on the girl in his Footscray flat on May 13,
2005.
'The toddler, who cannot be named, died hours later in hospital from
blunt force injury to the abdomen.
Mussie Debresay has had his sentencing delayed after he collapsed in
court on Thursday. Photo: Justin McManus
The jury was told Debresay was in a relationship with the girl's
mother and lost his temper when the girl urinated through her nappy on
his couch.
The girl's brother, then aged four and now a teenager, witnessed the
attack and gave evidence at the trial.
Mussie Debresay leaving court with family members after an earlier
hearing. Photo: Justin McManus
The mother lost custody of the boy and a second daughter after the
death and later had another child with Debresay.
The killer's collapse on Thursday came soon after Mr Dann told the
court his client had nothing to do with his child.
In 2013, the state coroner found the mother and Debresay jointly
responsible for the girl's death.
Ten years to the day after the death, Debresay was charged with
murder. The mother was never charged.
Before Debresay's collapse, victim impact statements from the girl's
siblings, grandparents and aunt were read to court.
In them, the children spoke of fearing "that man", while the
grandparents and aunt outlined their concerns for the siblings'
wellbeing.
"There was no reason for [my sister] to pass away, she was such an
innocent girl," the brother said in a statement read by a prosecutor.
"I remember what happened to her and that scares me.
"If she was still here our family would be a lot happier."
The girl's sister, who was a baby at the time of the death, said she
was angry her brother had to give evidence, and that they wished their
sister was still alive, so they could all be with their mother.
The children are now in the care of their grandparents, the court
heard, with their mother visiting once a week.
The aunt said she was haunted by being unable to protect her niece,
who she described as a cheeky, angelic toddler who loved dancing and
adored her brother.
"She would have been 14 years old now, what would she be like?" the aunt said.
"What would she have aspired to? What were her dreams? When would she
have had her first kiss? Would she get married? So many questions, but
she has been taken away from us."
Mr Dann said Debresay, who was born in Eritrea and came to Australia
as a teenager, maintained his innocence and had no explanation for
what happened.
But Justice Forrest accepted Debresay's "disgraceful conduct" in
stomping on the girl was borne out of anger and frustration, without
pre-meditation.
Received on Sat Nov 19 2016 - 11:14:05 EST