A Hobart mother has spoken of the ‘living nightmare’ she endures each day, one year after her 10-month-old baby boy was fatally shaken by her former partner.
Khaylan Shayne Butler died in the Royal Hobart Hospital on December 3, 2023, two days after he was shaken and dropped into his cot by Daniel John Ridgers.
The 26-year-old man from Warrane initially faced a murder charge but pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month.
In a victim impact statement read to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Khaylan’s mother Maddison Butler described the pain of watching her son’s life fade away.
“When they turned off Khaylan’s life support I watched the life leave his perfect little body,” she said.
She spoke of the void left by her son’s absence, saying he should be “speaking his first words” and “moving from crawling to walking”.
On the anniversary of his death last week, Butler said her “gorgeous angel” was dearly missed.
“366 days since I last got to see your perfect little face, hold your perfect little hand and I’m still just as broken now as I was then,” she wrote on social media.
“I love you beyond the moon and stars my baby boy. Rest easy till I get there and keep shining bright for us to see.”
Ridgers has been in custody since the incident and will be sentenced next Friday, December 20.
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