These boys know pain and agony. They faced down evil and are now home for Christmas

Warning: This post deals with difficult issues surrounding child custody and horrific descriptions of injuries. It may be upsetting for some readers.

This is a story no-one wants to read on Christmas Eve.

It has details that none of us want to face.

It involves two young boys who – by the time you finish reading this – you will want to inundate with Christmas presents.

Two young boys whom you will want to shower with love. You will want to reach out this Christmas Eve and hold them tight and tell them – make them – know that the world is not this bad.

People are not this cruel.

But these two boys don’t want our sympathy.

They don’t want our presents or our platitudes.

They don’t need us to teach them anything.

They have love.

They have their friends, their extended family, their school.

They have their own inner strength and most of all they have their Mum, Alison and each other.

And that is why this is worth smiling about this Christmas Eve.

The love that survives despite what happened to them.

We’ve posted on this before.

It was last December in Tasmania.

Paul Brian Edward Connelly set fire to his two sons aged eight and five in the family car. During his trial the jury heard that he wanted to kill himself and his sons to prevent his estranged wife getting custody of the boys.

His wife had had an affair.

It was revenge.

If he couldn’t have her, or the boys. No-one would.

He had spoken to his sister and told her he was going to kill himself and the boys, and didn’t want his wife to get them, the prosecution said.

It was decided. He was going to kill his own sons. He put the plan in action.

He picked them up from daycare and school. He packed a picnic with lollies, toys and special treats and told them to get into the car.

The court heard that Mr Connelly placed two gas cylinders in the rear of his Hyundai Getz and around 5pm he ignited the gas in the car causing a fire to start.

His two sons, Fletcher and Spencer, now nine and five lived, but they suffered horrific burns.

Next door neighbour Mandy Mercer told the court she saw the boys shirts melting off them.

Ms Mercer said she was in her kitchen at the time and heard a big bang and saw Connelly lying on the ground.

Nine-year old Fletcher suffered burns to 23 per cent of his body; five-year old Spencer had burns to 37 per cent of his body, including full thickness burns to his shoulders and neck.

The boys were flown to the Children’s Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition.

Their father was arrested and to make matters worse pleaded not guilty.

He has been in hospital and custody since the blast on December 5 last year.

Yesterday in Burnie, Tasmania a supreme court judge disputed that plea.

Chief Justice Alan Blow said that Connelly had shown almost no remorse in relation to his children, and no regret for his wife’s burden.

“He was their father, with a duty to protect them. Attempting to kill them involved the worst possible breach of trust,” he said.

He told the court that this was a “particularly bad example” of attempted murder.

“I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the prisoner decided to kill the boys in order to deprive his wife of them,” he said.

“That is to say, he decided to kill the boys in order to spite his wife.”

His spite found him guilty.

Paul Brian Edward Connelly was jailed for 20 years, to serve a minimum of 15, guilty on two counts of attempted murder.

The boys’ mother spoke to Channel Seven telling them that he “has inflicted a life sentence on them. They’re going to grow up and look in the mirror every day and see what he’s done.”

“The good thing is he’s got them too. He got burnt too. I hope there are mirrors in that prison so he can see the scars on him.

“He was angry, he was angry at me. It had nothing to do with those boys.”

She said that her oldest son Fletcher understands exactly what happened that day and knows why his looks are affected.

“He has struggled with it. He is very self-conscious about it and wears a hat in public all the time because he has a bald spot,” Alison told Channel Seven.

Spencer, who was younger still manages to laugh and remembers less.

“This is a man I was married to for 13 years. The father of my children. I thought he loved his children and I trusted him to have those boys and he betrayed that trust.

“They worshipped the ground their father walked on. They often told their dad that they loved him and he would reciprocate, say he loved them too.”

Forensic psychologist Ian Joblin told Channel Seven that children are often used as instruments of revenge.

“That means that the father often does not take on any remorse, to the mother of the children it’s like ‘look what you made me do’, as if its your fault, not my fault. He is offloading his guilt from himself onto her.”

Tomorrow is Fletcher and Spencer’s first Christmas home with their Mum since the horrific crime last year.

And their father, Paul Conelly’s first Christmas in prison.

We can only imagine how special it will be for their Mum Alison to have them with her and to finally put this chapter to rest.

Merry Christmas Fletcher and Spencer. We hope all your Christmas dreams come true.

If you want to follow their journey to recovery and wish them Merry Christmas you can access their Facebook page here.

If you or anyone you know needs help you can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14