A 23 year old gaming addict who had been sentenced to 9 years in jail last year after he killed in his 7 week old son in a fit of rage while playing on his PlayStation, could walk free after just 5 years behind the bars.
Joseph William McDonald, then 22, has been charged with 9 years in Jail with a non parole period of a little over 6 and a half years, of which he has already served a year. Having been frustrated while playing a PlayStation game, he hit out at his baby and caused injuries to his spine and head. He could not be revived on time and passed away 5 days later at the Monash Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
“The noise of Lucas crying because he was in the same lounge room, was interrupting his game … he couldn’t concentrate on his game,” Lucas’ grandmother Sharon Mills said. “He couldn’t play his game, so he broke.”
McDonald, who was arrested shortly after he fled, has pleaded guilty to a single count of child homicide. Justice Kaye of the Victoria Supreme Court, who pronounced the sentence, said ” It is important that the sentence which I impose on you is sufficient to ensure that you yourself learn that any further violence of the kind in which you engaged in this case will be met with severe consequences.”
McDonald’s lawyers say he needs help to address his anger management issues, cannabis use and addiction to violent video games. He appeared at the Supreme Court in person today where he pleaded guilty to child homicide and is facing up to 20 years in jail.
