Warning: Graphic content
The heartbreaking story of three-year-old Kyhesha-Lee Joughin’s death in 2013 shook the country, and last week her father, who left her to die in pain in a Brisbane apartment, was sentenced to just nine years for the crime.
Matthew Williamson, who would reportedly physically and sexually abuse Kyhesha-Lee, punched the toddler in the stomach so hard it perforated her bowl. The injury became infected over the next three days, as Williamson took drugs with his flatmate (who has already been sentenced for manslaughter), refusing to seek medical treatment for the child, who would’ve been in unimaginable pain.
Now, Kyhesha-Lee’s grieving mother, Danielle Joughin, has spoken out about the sentence, saying to Daily Mail Australia that “a life sentence should be imposed for taking her life,” but “no matter what happens to him, it’s not going to change how he treated her, what she went through, or the fact that her life was taken in such a horrible way.”
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She also revealed she tries to keep herself busy with her other children to distract herself from the pain of losing Kyhesha-Lee and “thinks about the good times,” saying of Williamson, “is any amount of time good enough in situations such as this?”
Following the sentencing on Thursday, The Courier Mail reports Joughin spoke outside the courtroom saying, “To think he took her from me out of spite and this is the way he was going to treat her afterwards. It’s disgusting. She was bubbly, she was energetic, she was funny, she had a little Miss Diva attitude and I miss that about her, just like her little brother Joey, full of energy, full of love.”
The nine year sentence has been widely criticised, with Senator Derryn Hinch posting a public message on Facebook, saying the jail time is a “sick joke” and calling for an appeal.
Danielle Joughin first spoke
