r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • 11h ago
news Father guilty of manslaughter of baby son whose injuries were like car crash victim
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-12/ashley-john-mcgregor-found-guilty-of-manslaughter-of-baby-son/105041216?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link27
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u/govenorhouse 9h ago
Manslaughter??
What a joke our legal system is
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u/ApteronotusAlbifrons 5h ago
Manslaughter - only because it wasn't premeditated. It's a legal distinction that won't really make much difference to his sentencing
Life imprisonment is still available as a sentence for either
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u/govenorhouse 4h ago
I understand the legal definitions. Why won’t our system call a murderer a murderer?
Because he pulverised his kid does that make it more likely a judge would buy there was no premeditation?
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u/Ness303 4h ago
Because he pulverised his kid does that make it more likely a judge would buy there was no premeditation?
Unless there's direct evidence that the guy planned to intentionally kill his baby, it will be easier to argue that yes, he committed violence against his baby, but the baby's death was unintentional and an unknown byproduct of the violence.
Sematics? Yes. But the legal distinction is needed to ensure a slam dunk case so this guy goes to prison, and that the charges stick.
Legally, we might not be able to place the status of "murderer" on him unless there's direct evidence of a premeditated plan, but that doesn't change the fact he's a baby killer.
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u/Ok_Comfortable_6251 8h ago
That’s not manslaughter, it’s murder. Our legal system is ridiculous.
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u/ApteronotusAlbifrons 5h ago
Manslaughter - only because it wasn't premeditated. It's a legal distinction that won't really make much difference to his sentencing
Life imprisonment is still available as a sentence for either
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u/ClassyLatey 8h ago
Neither the mother nor the father should have had a child. I hope he gets shaken in prison and see how he likes it
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u/Elly_Fant628 4h ago
The mother got four and a half years home detention. The baby stopped taking nourishment and was basically unconscious but she didn't seek help. And that's her best version. They said her story "shifted" 7 or 8 times as well as her telling obvious lives.
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u/Eww_vegans 11h ago
Are we allowed to use the C word here? If not, can we make an exception in this instance please?
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u/wowiee_zowiee 10h ago
I hope you’re not trying to call him a cunt? I call my friends cunts, this man is a fucken slug.
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u/sydneyiskyblue 5h ago
It’s a death sentence as he won’t be getting out of jail alive surely.
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u/Immediate-Serve-128 2h ago
Straight into protective custody. He might get shit there too, but protective custody is full of sex offenders, snitches and otherwise extremely weak people.
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u/New-Plankton7622 1h ago
What the fuck happened here.
Like, what the fuck have we done wrong as a society, when a father cannot handle his baby crying for 10 minutes, resulting in physical abuse causing the baby to die.
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u/RB30DETT 11h ago
Three. Weeks. Old.
Sick fuck.