Grandparents fight for just sentencing
JOHN and Sue Sandeman should have spent the day celebrating the eighth birthday of their grandson.
Cheeky Mason Parker loved kisses and learnt to ride a tricycle before he could walk.
Instead, yesterday, they put the finishing touches on their submission on child homicide and delivered it to the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council ( QSAC).
Mason ( right) was murdered by his mother’s partner, Troy Reed, in 2011, when just 17 months old.
Mr and Mrs Sandeman only celebrated one birthday with their grandson, but have continued to commemorate November 29 each year.
“It’s an extremely hard day ... he was a part of our life, he was our family,” Mr Sandeman said.
“I might be doing the dishes or something like that and something will pop into my head and I’ll remember him.
“But by remembering him you remember what happened to him, and you remember what that bastard did to my grandson.”
The couple are advocates for victims of child abuse. They were instrumental in the passing of Mason’s Law last year, which makes it mandatory for childcare workers to report suspected child abuse.
They hope to make a difference again by sharing their story with the QSAC.
In their submission, Mr and Mrs Sandeman make a case for tougher penalties for child murderers and those convicted of manslaughter.
They believe the phrase “life sentence”, which in Queensland usually means 20 years, is misleading.
“Punishment needs to be increased in cases of child homicide,” the submission reads. “Ideally, they should never be released, for they have forfeited their right at the moment they took someone’s life.”
At the least, Mr and Mrs Sandeman hope to see child killers spend the whole of their sentence in custody, not out on parole.
“Parole should not even be considered in cases of child murders,” they wrote.
Submissions to the QSAC close on December 24 and the Sandemans are urging crime victims and the general public to participate.
“If we work as a team – not just the politicians, but the community works as a team – we’ll get it done,” Mr Sandeman said.
The Sandemans this month sat through the Townsville trial of Nicholas Baxter, convicted of the manslaughter of his six- week- old son. Baxter was sentenced to nine years’ jail, with parole after serving half.